Reducing NCD deaths from air

pollution & EH risks

Through actions at country city and

household level

Department of Public Health

Environmental and Social Determinants of Health

Key messages for mini-campaign

2

Some 8 million NCD deaths annually are due

to environmental health risks

• Among those EH risks, Air pollution is now the biggest

• 7 million people per year die from air pollution related

diseases.

• Air pollution, traditionally thought of as an environmental

issue, has become an urgent public health crisis.

PM<10mm – Coarse

PM<2.5mm – Fine

PM<1mm – Ultrafine

Medgadget .com

Air Pollution is now the major EH risk to health

Particles smaller than 2.5mm penetrate deep into the lungs and effect the body more systematically leading to diseases like stroke, heart disease, in addition to the cancers, COPD and pneumonia/URLI.

Air pollution impacts- similar to tobacco smoke

Lungs exposed to tobacco and to Indoor air pollution

Pathology slides - Courtesy Prof. Saldiva, São Paulo, Brazil

Currently public health programmes to

reduce NCDs consider only other

major risk factors:

• Tobacco

• Physical inactivity

• Diet (fat, sugar, fiber…)

• Excess use of alcohol

One third STROKE

One third LUNG CANCER

One third COPD

One –quarter heart disease

AP Sources also cause

Physical inactivity – linked to overweight – hypertension -

diabetes

Injuries

Need to consider NCD deaths

globally due to AP

Costs: Trillions of U$ dollars

Health Sector

Response: World

Health Assembly

Resolution on Air

Pollution and Health

Work with other sectors to

prevent AP-related diseases

& obtain health co-benefits

Road Map for an

Enhanced Global

Response

adopted today

Action: implementing the road map

To equip the health sector to work with other

sectors so as to prevent AP-related diseases

& obtain health co-benefits, through:

– Expanding the knowledge base

– Monitoring and reporting

– Global leadership and coordination

– Institutional capacity strengthening

Where exposure to AP is

largest: the home and the city

Road Map for an Enhanced Global Response adopted today

Global population relying on clean and

polluting fuels from 1980 to 2014

Global access to electricity and clean

fuels from 2010 to 2012

Electri

city

Clean

Cooking

Fuels

Rural,

21% Rural,

3%

Urban,

79% Urban,

97%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Top 25 LMICs by population relying on

kerosene as main lighting fuel

Ambient Air Pollution - CITIES

8% increase in air pollution over 5 years

(WHO 2016, 3000 cities database)

Air Pollution Low and Middle Income Cities is Getting Worse

Trend in PM2.5 or PM10 based on cities available in several versions of the database, by region1.

Region Trend over the mean

period 2008-20132

Africa (Sub-Saharan) NA

America, LMI

America, HI

Eastern Mediterranean, LMI

Eastern Mediterranean, HI

Europe, LMI

Europe, HI

South-East Asia

Western Pacific, LMI

Western Pacific, HI

World3

1 Criteria for inclusion: cities with measured PM2.5 or PM10 values in the three database versions covering a period of 3 years or more, or in two versions and covering a period of 4 years or more. 2 : No more than 5% change over the five-year period; : More than 5% decrease over the five-year period; : More than 5% increase over the five-year period. 3 The mean for the World is based on weighting by regional urban population.

LMI: Low- and middle-income countries; HI: High-income; NA: Not available. Results are based on 795 cities and are to be interpreted with caution, as 1) cities included might not ensure representativeness, 2) yearly variations due for example to climatic changes can be important and 3) a 5-year comparison does not necessarily represent trends, in particular when changes are limited.

New estimates on exposure to AP and BOD for countries and the world Upcoming 2016

Improved modelling

using data integration:

Satellite sensing,

chemical transport

model and ground

measurements

Modelled AAP exposure, Iran, 2015 (draft

for country consultation)