Mortality Attributable to Ambient Air Pollution: A Review of Global Estimates

Since the publication of the first epidemiological study to establish the connection between long-term exposure to atmospheric pollution and effects on human health, major efforts have been dedicated to estimate the attributable mortality burden, especially in the context of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). In this work, we review the estimates of excess mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution at the global scale, by comparing studies available in the literature. We find large differences between the estimates, which are related to the exposure response functions as well as the number of health outcomes included in the calculations, aspects where further improvements are necessary. Furthermore, we show that despite the considerable advancements in our understanding of health impacts of air pollution and the consequent improvement in the accuracy of the global estimates, their precision has not increased in the last decades. We offer recommendations for future measurements and research directions, which will help to improve our understanding and quantification of air pollution-health relationships.

Automated summary

Since the publication of the first epidemiological study linking long-term exposure to atmospheric pollution with adverse effects on human health, efforts have been made to estimate the mortality burden caused by outdoor air pollution on a global scale. This review highlights the discrepancies between different studies and identifies the need for improved exposure response functions and inclusion of more comprehensive health outcomes in calculations. Furthermore, it emphasizes the lack of precision in global estimates despite advances in understanding the health impacts of air pollution.