Health problems caused by air pollution (PM2.5)
Air pollutants can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. In extreme cases, air pollution can cause premature death. Air pollution is generally harmful to all human beings, but especially to the elderly, the sick, children and foetuses. Infants and small children are especially susceptible to infections of the air passages because their immune system and lungs are not yet fully developed at birth. For people who suffer from asthma, polluted air can trigger asthma attacks. Inflammations may weaken the body's defences, particularly among the elderly. The cardiovascular system is subjected to strain, as it has to work harder to compensate for the lack of oxygen. This may manifest in heart rhythm disturbances and heart attacks.
poor
positive
Despite the many measures taken in recent years to improve air quality, pollution remains a problem. Air pollution is a factor in the premature death of around 2'300 people.
Using the same methodology, a study by Swiss TPH in 2023 concluded that in addition to premature deaths due to air pollution, there are also about 3,500 new cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), 5,600 new cases of dementia, 1,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes and 2,600 new cases of ischemic heart disease, as well as 400 new cases of lung cancer. Furthermore, there are approximately 2.5 million days of restricted activity among adults.
In Switzerland, the long-term health effects of air pollution are investigated in the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA). However, this and other international studies also indicate that the health of children and adults improves quite rapidly if the atmospheric pollutant load decreases. Actions to improve air quality thus have a measurable positive impact on public health.
The health impact assessment is based on an epidemiologically derived exposure-response relationship of 1.118 per 10 µg/m³ PM2.5 for disease-related mortality according to ELAPSE. The number of premature deaths in adults aged 20 and over was estimated using population-weighted PM2.5 exposure and annual mortality data for Switzerland, applying a threshold of 5 µg/m³ in accordance with WHO air quality guidelines.
| Targeted trend | Initial value | Final value | Variation in % | Observed trend | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decrease | Average 2000-2002 | Average 2021-2023 | -60.00% | Decrease | positive |
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