Growing Public Health Concerns from Poor Urban Air Quality: Strategies for Sustainable Urban Living

Bhaskar Kura, Suruchi Verma, Elena Ajdari, Amrita Iyer

Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.

DOI: 10.4236/cweee.2013.22B001                

Abstract

Urban areas around the world, particularly in emerging nations such as China, India, and Brazil are experiencing high levels of air pollution due to increased population, economy, spending, and consumption, all of which contribute to deterioration in environmental and public health conditions in urban areas. This paper briefly discusses important sources of air pollution, air pollutants of concern, public health impacts, and proposed strategies to combat urban air pollution and promote sustainable urban living. A team of researchers under the mentorship of the main author is working on a number of air quality projects that involve air quality monitoring (sources, ambient, indoor, and occupational), emissions modeling, atmospheric dispersion modeling, air pollution control, and development of knowledge-based systems to manage air quality.  This paper presents potential strategies that could help address the growing public health concerns in urban areas and promote sustainable and healthy living.

Keywords

Urban Air Quality; Exposures to Air Pollutants; Risk Assessment; Public Health

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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