Air Pollution and Public Health: A PRISMA-Compliant Systematic Review

Atmosphere

Marco Quarato¹  Antonio Caputi¹  Luigi De Maria¹  Pietro Lorusso¹  Francesca Mansi¹  Luigi Vimercati¹  Maria Franca Gatti¹  Francesco Birtolo¹ 

[1] Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Occupational Medicine “B. Ramazzini”, University of Bari Medical School, Giulio Cesare Square 11, Bari 70124, Italy;

关键词: air pollution;    public health;    occupational exposure;    environmental exposure;    allergic diseases;    pulmonary diseases;    heavy metals;   

DOI  :  10.3390/atmos8100183

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

(1) Background: Particulate matter increases the risk of respiratory, allergic and oncological diseases in both exposed workers and the general population due to its toxic compounds (e.g., PAHs, gases, heavy metals, microorganisms). The aim of this review is to show the results obtained by our department regarding air pollution’s contributions to health damage in both occupationally and non-occupationally exposed people. (2) Methods: This review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching articles on PubMed, using eligibility criteria, extracting data independently from reports to reduce bias and considering the accuracy of the statistical analyses. (3) Results: Of fifteen papers, only three respected the abovementioned criteria. A total of 453 cases (174 occupationally exposed and 279 non-occupationally exposed individuals) were included in the review. Qualitative analysis showed that among workers, occupational exposure to air pollution increased the risk of allergic and pulmonary diseases, whereas environmental exposure to PM increased heavy metal intake, the last of which was characterized by well-known carcinogenic effects. 4) Conclusion: The use of personal protective equipment, a meticulous health surveillance program and specific environmental protection policies are needed to protect public health from damages due to air pollution.

【 授权许可】

Unknown