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Air Pollution

This page has a list of publications and news articles related to Air Pollution. Find more information about our research on Air Pollution.

Three new reports on air pollution exposure and health

April 2, 2025

HEI recently published three Research Reports:

  • Effect of Air Pollution Reductions on Mortality During the COVID-19 Lockdowns in Early 2020 (Research Report 224)
  • Air Pollution Exposure, Prefrontal Connectivity, and Emotional Behavior in Early Adolescence (Research Report 225)
  • Comparison of Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure from Mobile and Routine Monitoring, Low-Cost Sensors, and Dispersion Models (Research Report 226)

Study examines cardiometabolic effects of air pollutants, noise, and green space

December 18, 2024

HEI has published a new Research Report, Cardiometabolic Health Effects of Air Pollution, Noise, Green Space, and Socioeconomic Status: The HERMES Study. Led by Ole Raaschou-Nielsen of the Danish Cancer Institute, the research team investigated four traffic-related air pollutants (fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, ultrafine particulates, and elemental carbon), noise, and green space in relation to cardiometabolic health in 2.6 million adults in Denmark.

New health studies launched on traffic-related air pollution exposure, diesel fleet turnover

October 21, 2024

HEI is pleased to announce the launch of five studies it is funding as the result of two separate research solicitations: Request for Applications 23-1, Assessing Health Effects of Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP); and Request for Qualifications 24-1, Benefits Assessment of Accelerated Turnover of the On-Road Diesel Vehicle Fleet in the United States.

New report on effects of diesel school bus replacement program

October 16, 2024
Cover of Adar report

A new HEI report, Assessing the National Health, Education, and Air Quality Benefits of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s School Bus Rebate Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial Design, presents a study led by Sara Adar of the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

HEI-funded research played important role in European Union’s adoption of new air quality standards to improve public health

October 15, 2024

The European Union’s (EU) revised Ambient Air Quality Directive sets new air quality standards for EU countries to achieve by 2030 for major pollutants to align more closely with the latest World Health Organization guidelines. Findings on low-level air pollution exposure, particularly the findings from an HEI-funded study of 28 million participants in Europe, played an important role in informing the new EU air quality standards

New report on air pollution and childhood asthma risk

September 6, 2024

HEI has published a new Research Report, Birth Cohort Studies of Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution in Early Life and Development of Asthma in Children and Adolescents from Denmark. The study presented in the report, led by Marie Pedersen of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, examined children’s asthma in four Danish cohorts and focused on exposure to an array of air pollutants.

New study examines potential health benefits of reducing emissions

August 27, 2024

HEI has published a new Research Report, Estimating Model-Based Marginal Societal Health Benefits of Air Pollution Emission Reductions in the United States and Canada.

Robust scientific evidence supports EPA’s new air quality standard to improve public health

February 13, 2024

HEI acknowledges the decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) from 12 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter) to 9 µg/m3. This is the first change in the PM2.5 NAAQS limits since 2012. The EPA has estimated that their decision to lower the limit may prevent as many as 4,500 premature deaths in the U.S., including many from historically marginalized and other vulnerable communities that often face the greatest risks from air pollution exposure.

HEI President Elena Craft comments on air quality standards for soot

January 11, 2024

The following is excerpted from an article in Politico’s E&E News quoting HEI President Elena Craft. Please note you can read the full article here with a subscription.

E&E News

New study examines air pollution’s health impact across Asia

May 31, 2023
Cover of HEI Research Report 213

Much of what is currently known about the adverse effects of ambient air pollution comes from studies conducted in high-income regions, especially North America and Europe, with relatively low air pollution levels.