Health Effects of Air Pollution in Asia
Although most studies published so far are from developed countries, there is an increasing flow of publications
coming from developing parts of the world where air pollution levels are often still higher than in developed
countries. The remainder of this paper will focus on such studies, notably on studies conducted in Asia.
The primary source of information is the literature compilation made by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) as part
of the HEI Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia program. In April 2004 a Special Report was published that
reviewed 138 studies. An update from June 2006 added another 39 studies to this compilation. Studying health
effects of high pollution exposures related to indoor biomass burning, and related to pollution from industry, energy
production and traffic in large cities is understandably a matter of high priority, and it is these types of studies that
are most abundant. Some studies have addressed pollution effects other than those related to indoor biomass smoke
or outdoor urban exposures. These are studies of haze events related to forest fires, and studies of ‘dust’ events
related to long-range transport of pollutant-enriched windblown desert dust.