A joint ERS/American Thoracic Society (ATS) task force has published an updated report providing guidance on how to interpret the scientific evidence on the health effects of air pollution for risk management purposes.
It follows earlier statements from ATS (1985, 2000) on the same topic taking into account the latest science and growing range of biomarkers exposure and health effects of air pollution.
The new report outlines a set of considerations that can be applied when forming judgments of the current and future impact of air pollution exposure. The considerations are then applied a number of illustrative examples of effects, including respiratory effects, reproduction and development effects, central nervous system disorders and psychiatric effects, to help assess whether the effect of exposure can be classed as adverse.