空气质量监测，以增强对健康影响及其他方面的理解

Air quality monitoring forenhanced understanding ofhealth impacts and beyond Technical brief Key messages Monitoring air quality (i.e. collecting continuous and quality data) is integral and critical todetecting air pollutants and to ensuring information sharing with the public, policy-makers andregulatory compliance. Air quality monitoring is also one of the first and necessary steps for quantifying the health impactsfrom air pollution and monitoring progress towards reducing air pollution. The main pollutants(e.g. particulate matter [PM], nitrogen dioxide and tropospheric ozone) should be monitoredcontinuously and consistently. Sharing these high-quality and standardized data publicly isessential to raise awareness and encourage decision-makers to take action. Across and within regions, nations and cities, both air pollution sources and the factors that affectthem, such as meteorology and topography, can vary substantially. As a result, the air qualitymanagement strategies and associated risks to human health may differ from region to region. Long-term and robust air quality monitoring is required to inform policy decisions and support scientificevidence of the risk of the various atmospheric pollutants. A well-functioning monitoring system will: •Advance public health work by better characterizing and quantifying exposures wherepopulations reside and across different micro-environments (such as in traffic and industrialhotspots) so that the health sector can understand the health impacts and evaluate theeffectiveness of air pollution interventions.•Enhance understanding of the atmospheric science of air pollution processes across differenttime periods (e.g. short-term weather vs long-term climate trends) and geographies (e.g. cityvs country). These processes can include the chemical composition of source emissions andmeteorological factors that influence local and transboundary air pollution.•Support decision-makers to identify the highest sources of emissions. Inventories ofemissions are crucial to understand where the greatest health benefits can be achievedfrom sectoral interventions. Ground-based, reference-grade instruments are the standard method for air qualitymonitoring, providing robust and continuous observations of air pollutant concentrations.They are, however, costly and require skilled technicians to maintain, so they can becomplemented by satellite observations (with a lower spatial and temporal resolution) orlow-cost sensors (with lower accuracy). Modelling tools can also complement air qualitymonitoring, when properly adapted and calibrated for a specific city or region, so as toenable accurate forecasting of air pollution and evaluation of health impacts. While progress has been made in the past decades with enhanced national monitoringprogrammes, new technologies and increased data availability, there is still an importantfraction of the population, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), thatis falling behind in tracking their local pollution. These populations where monitoring isinadequate are often the same citizens who are exposed to harmful levels of air pollution.More concerning is that the places without air quality monitoring are often where the mostvulnerable populations live and where pollution levels may be highest. Key concepts Concentration:The amount of a contaminant present in a certain volume ormass of environmental medium (e.g. air, water)(1). Exposure:The contact between individuals and air pollution, capturing bothhow polluted the air is and how much time people spend in differentenvironments with different concentrations of pollution. Monitoring:This involves collecting data continuously, most of the time frommeasurements but models can support and complement ground-levelobservations and satellite products. Scientists conduct air-pollution research in Pretoria, South Africa,analyzing atmospheric conditions and particulate matter levels.© Gulshan Khan / Climate Visuals Overview Air pollution is recognized as a major environmental risk factor to health – especially fornoncommunicable diseases(2).World Health Organization (WHO) estimates from 2021indicate that 4.3 million lives are lost to ambient air pollution from fine PM. Having a goodunderstanding of the magnitude of human exposure to air pollutants and having the legal,policy and scientific tools to monitor progress in protecting health are critical for addressingthis risk factor. Air pollution is embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)indicators framework through SDG 11.6.2 (Air quality in cities), SDG 7.1.2 (Access to cleanhousehold energy) and 3.9.1 (Mortality from air pollution)(3). Monitoring air quality essential for health impactassessment WHO has been supporting countries to monitor air quality for health impact assessment fordecades(4–8)with guidance.Monitoring and reporting air quality information is essential to: •Evaluate compliance with national air qual