PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The health effects of air pollution have been subject of intense study in recent years. Exposure to pollutants such as airborne particulate matter (PM) has been associated with increases in mortality and hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. PM is a complex mixture of microscopic particles derived from anthropogenic and natural sources. It is still a major environmental problem in several EU countries. While strategies for controlling anthropogenic emissions in European urban areas have greatly improved, the quantitative result of changes in human exposure to specific toxic particle compounds is largely unknown with respect to each of the emission sources.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of LIFE Index-Air – by incorporating a database of outdoor and indoor air quality and a package of models – was to develop an innovative and versatile policy tool that would establish a relation between population exposure to mixtures of PM compounds and emission sources.
Specific objectives were to:
- Develop and implement a method for producing a versatile and long-term, decision-making tool for public authorities;
- Create a database on chemical constituents of PM2.5 and PM10 sampled indoors and outdoors of EU cities;
- Develop an exposure assessment system and an operational platform for PM dose calculation to be incorporated into the tool;
- Identify the health end-points associated with the exposure to PM;
- Determine the contribution of emission sources to human exposure to PM and evaluate control strategies capable of underpinning the sustainable development of expected changes anticipating climate change and long-term changes in the atmosphere; and
- Consolidate the knowledge base to help authorities to implement the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution and to formulate air quality action plans.
RESULTS
LIFE Index-Air developed a management tool to identify efficient pollution emission control strategies. The tool incorporates chemical monitoring data and models to establish a relation among environment (outdoor) and indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM) compound mixtures, population exposure and dose, health impacts and emission sources, with the aim of protecting human health and the environment.
The LIFE Index-Air Management Tool includes five modules: a) database module incorporating outdoor and indoor air quality data; b) exposure module to determine the target population for the selected pollutants; c) dosimetry module to calculate the deposition and internal dose of particles in the human body; d) burden of disease module to quantify the health impacts of chemical exposures associated with PM using a World Health Organization methodology; and e) policymaking scenarios for assessing the effects of emission mitigation measures on ambient air quality, exposure and related health impacts.
The tool was firstly tested in Lisbon (Portugal), and then implemented in another four cities: Athens (Greece), Kuopio (Finland), Oporto (Portugal) and Treviso (Italy), having different geographical, meteorological and socio-economical characteristics representative of medium-large European cities. Strategic measures and action plans were proposed (focusing mainly on traffic, biomass burning and industrial emissions) to improve air quality, adapted to the specificity of the five pilot cities. The tool showed that the mitigation scenarios applied in these cities can reduce annual PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations, by up to 11% and 27%, respectively. 140 stakeholders were trained in the use of the tool.
By enabling policymakers and other relevant stakeholders to identify measures to reduce air pollution, and to quantify their effectiveness in terms of health, the tool leads to better decision-making to improve air quality. The tool helps achieve limit values set by EU Directive 2008/50/EC to reduce exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 chemical compounds, and can also potentially reduce annual costs of health impacts and mortality from air pollution.
Air sampling campaigns were conducted in 5 schools, 40 homes and 18 vehicles in Lisbon, enabling the calculation of population exposure to air pollutants and the PM dose in the human respiratory tract. The project team assessed children’s exposure to PM in indoor environments, studied factors affecting exposure to pollutants, identified sources contributing to the daily exposure of children, and modelled air quality levels of regulated metals.
Project outcomes have a huge replicability potential. The user-friendly tool is freely available online, along with a manual and video to support technological transfer. The project team also produced guidelines for air quality improvement in cities, buildings and homes. Demonstration actions may encourage the general public to adopt measures (e.g. reducing use of domestic fireplaces).
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
