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Air pollution: a global problem needs local fixes

Researchers must find the particles that are most dangerous to health in each place so policies can reduce levels of those pollutants first, urge Xiangdong Li and colleagues.
By
  1. Xiangdong Li

    1. Xiangdong Li is a chair professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.

  2. Ling Jin

    1. Ling Jin is a research assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.

  3. Haidong Kan

    1. Haidong Kan is a professor in the School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Each year, more than 4 million people die early because of outdoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The main culprits are fine particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometres or less (PM2.5). These can penetrate deep into the lungs, heart and bloodstream, where they cause diseases and cancers.

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Nature 570, 437-439 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01960-7

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