In the 1960s, scientists investigated the causes of “acid rain,” which was devastating forests, depleting fish populations in lakes, and threatening entire ecosystems across the Northern Hemisphere. They discovered that air pollutants — many emitted thousands of kilometers away — were the primary culprit.To address this issue, 32 countries in the pan-European region decided to cooperate to reduce ...

The Clean Air Act, which was last amended in 1990, requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (40 CFR part 50) for six principal pollutants ("criteria" air pollutants) which can be harmful to public health and the environment. The Clean Air Act identifies two types of national ambient air quality standards. Primary standards provide public health protection, including protecting th...

The EU air quality standards and objectives are summarised in the table below. These apply over different periods of time because the observed health impacts associated with the various pollutants occur over different exposure times. Under EU law, a limit value is legally binding from the date it enters into force subject to any exceedances permitted by the legislation. For a target value, the obl...

This consultation seeks views on the draft National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP) and the use of the estimates of abatement associated with the policy measures and also asks for any additional analysis or evidence that could be used.The consultation sets out 8 questions, the first of which asks about the estimates of abatement associated with the policy measures. The next 7 questions lin...

The main goal of this forum was to bring together stakeholders to share insights, knowledge and understanding of air pollution sources in the city in order to build a foundation for action and to introduce the stakeholders to the Clean Air Catalyst and set a collaborative approach, through the setting up of the Nairobi air quality working group that will support in the implementation of the projec...

The Clean Air Catalyst, alongside partner Vital Strategies, held a workshop focused on the relationship between air pollution and health for public health officials from each sub-county in Nairobi on April 20 and 21. The workshop was tailored to build capacity and understanding about the health impacts of air pollution amongst public health officers, with a focus on strategies to reduce exposure t...

Campaigns raise public awareness of air pollution and inspire meaningful action on health and climate. This blog explores 5 creative campaign ideas to advocate for clean air....

Focused on linking super-pollutants to health and lifestyle impacts, this new campaign from The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) aims to inspire a global push for stronger action and cooperation on super-pollutants by bringing the issue to life in a bold way....

Air pollution is a major global health threat. There is growing evidence for a negative effect of air pollution on health and well-being. Relationships between air pollution and health are mediated by health risk perceptions and play a crucial role in public response to it. Air pollution in the public’s mind is often different from air pollution defined by the scientific community. Therefore, in o...

Although there is increasing awareness of the health risks of air pollution as a global issue, few studies have focused on the methods for assessing individuals’ perceptions of these risks. This scoping review aimed to identify previous research evaluating individuals’ perceptions of air pollution and its health effects, and to explore the measurement of perceptions, as a key resource for health b...