Investigation of the source and health effects of atmospheric aerosols in Tehran city

Despite past improvements in air quality, very large parts of the population in urban areas breathe air that does not meet European standards let alone the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines. Over the last 10 years, there has been a substantial increase in findings that particulate matter (PM) air pollution is not only exerting a greater impact on established health endpoints, but is also associated with a broader number of disease outcomes. Recently, relatively sound research has been done on the understanding of the nature of particles and their role in creating problems in humans. A comprehensive study of this research and the analysis of the results, along with the comparison of the results of the research on health impact assessment, were evaluated in Tehran. Data strongly suggest that the effects have no threshold within the studied range of ambient concentrations, can occur at levels close to PM2.5 background concentrations, and that they follow a mostly linear concentration-response function. Having firmly established this significant public health problem, an enormous effort has been made to identify what it is in the ambient PM that affects health and to understand the underlying biological basis of this toxicity by identifying mechanistic pathways-information that, in turn, will inform policy makers how best to legislate for cleaner air. Another intervention in moving towards a healthier environment depends upon achieving the right public attitude and behaviour through the use of optimal air pollution monitoring, forecasting and reporting that exploits increasingly sophisticated information systems. Improving air quality is a considerable but not an intractable challenge. Translating the correct scientific evidence into bold, realistic and effective policies undisputedly has the potential to reduce air pollution so that it no longer poses a damaging and costly toll on public health.