Traffic-Related Air Pollution: Legislation Versus Health and Environmental Effects

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2012

Authors

Klara Slezakova (Author) FEUP; Simone Morais (Author) Other; Maria do Carmo Pereira (Author) FEUP

Book

Title: Environmental Health: Emerging Issues and Practice

Pages: 103-124

ISBN: 978-953-307-854-0

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Health sciences

Associated Projects

PEst-C/EQB/UI0511/2011 - PROJECTO ESTRATÉGICO - UI 511 - 2011-2012

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00J-6JJ

DOI: 10.5772/30492

Abstract (EN): Ambient air quality is a very topical issue as it has an important influence on human health. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants may result in various adverse health effects. The impacts of air pollution are not confined only to human health but also to the environment as a whole. In that regard, vehicular traffic emissions are especially important, because its volume is increasing every year. Consequently pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are emitted into the atmosphere causing a significant decline of air quality across Europe, which results in hundreds of thousands of premature deaths every year. In order to improve the situation, the European Union has been defining legislation on ambient air quality with limits of the respective pollutants and aiming to increase the levels of public health protection. Despite reductions in emissions, concentrations of these pollutants remain high ¿ often above existing targets ¿ exposing populations to levels that reduce life expectancy, cause premature death and widespread aggravation to health. In this chapter, various aspects of air pollution are discussed with specific emphasis on vehicular road traffic. An overview of the current legislation related to air quality is given. The work then focuses on the health impacts of important traffic related pollutants, with particular focus on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The general description of PAHs is presented with further discussion on their health and environmental impacts.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 21