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HEI's Global Health Program
Air pollution affects millions of adults and children around the world, with an estimated 6.7 million deaths globally from air pollution. Each year, exposure to air pollution can lead to death and disability as well as loss of productivity due to a variety of health effects including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and neonatal disorders. HEI's Global Health program is engaged in several projects around the world applying science to better understand air pollution's health impact. The program receives generous financial support from foundations, philanthropies, and international organizations.
Nine out of ten people on Earth are exposed to harmful levels of PM2.5 pollution, with the highest exposures occurring in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
Ongoing Projects
State of Global Air
The State of Global Air is a research and outreach initiative to provide reliable, meaningful information about air quality and health impacts around the world. A collaboration between the Health Effects Institute and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease study, the initiative provides the public, journalists, policymakers, and scientists access to high-quality, objective information about air pollution exposure and its health impacts. All data, reports, and resources are available to the public for free. This work is supported by the Clean Air Fund. Learn more about State of Global Air.
Air Pollution and Health in East Africa
Countries in East Africa experience high levels of outdoor and household air pollution with significant associated health impacts. Targeted interventions could play an important role in improving air quality and health in the region. HEI is working with collaborators in East Africa, especially Kenya and Uganda, to ensure that credible evidence on the impacts of air pollution on people’s health and on effective solutions is better communicated and understood at a local level, and that these data are delivered to decision makers in a way that informs and drives ambitious action toward cleaner air. In March 2023, HEI co-organized a workshop on air pollution and health in East Africa in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute–Africa Centre (SEI Africa), World Resources Institute (WRI Africa), Eastern Africa GEO Health Hub (Kenya), and AirQo.
This work is supported by the Clean Air Fund.
CAPHER-India
In collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi), HEI is supporting a national research network focused on air pollution and health effects research in India ― the Collaborative on Air Pollution and Health Effects Research (CAPHER-India). This project is supported by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. More.
Air Quality and Health in Europe
In Europe, HEI continues to work in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Air Quality Guidelines and has funded various epidemiologic studies on the health effects of traffic-related air pollution and noise and on health effects at low exposure concentrations. In January 2020, HEI co-organized a meeting in Brussels alongside WHO, International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), European Respiratory Society (ERS), and the European Commission to review the latest science on major pollutants as a key step in evaluating whether to update Europe’s air quality policies. Our air pollution and health program is currently funding several research studies of air pollution, traffic, and health in Europe.
Past Projects
Air Quality and Health in Europe
In Europe, HEI has funded various epidemiological studies on the health effects of traffic-related air pollution and noise and on health effects at low exposure concentrations. In May 2023, HEI co-organized a meeting in Brussels alongside the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), the European Respiratory Society (ERS), and the European Commission to discuss recently proposed revisions to the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD). Participants looked at the directive’s strengths and weaknesses, identified remaining challenges, and explored additional policy options. Our air pollution and health program is currently funding several research studies of air pollution, traffic, and health in Europe.
Global Burden of Disease from Major Air Pollution Sources (GBD MAPS)
In 2014, HEI initiated the Global Burden of Disease from Major Air Pollution Sources (GBD MAPS) project. Using the GBD framework, investigators for GBD MAPS have estimated the burden of disease attributable to major ambient air pollution sources in countries around the world. So far, we have published three reports under this initiative. More.
Watch a short video highlighting the connections among air quality, climate, and health.
Shipping Emissions in the Yangtze River Delta, China
HEI worked with a team of investigators from Fudan, Tsinghua Universities, and other Chinese research institutions to conduct a comprehensive analysis of emissions from shipping and related health impacts. Estimates were also prepared for the year 2030 under three future emissions control scenarios (see Special Report 22).
Household Air Pollution in Ghana
In 2018 and 2019, HEI evaluated the contribution of household air pollution to ambient fine particle air pollution in Ghana as well as its impact on health (see HEI Communication 19).
Household Air Pollution and Noncommunicable Disease
In 2018, HEI published a critical assessment of the state of the science examining the linkages between household air pollution formed by the burning of solid fuels and noncommunicable diseases. (see HEI Communication 18).
Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA)
In the 2000s, with support from foundations, HEI conducted the Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA) program (see our coordinated studies in four cities and a comprehensive review of the Asian literature on air pollution and health). The PAPA program sought to inform regional decisions about improving air quality in Asia.
