title: Air pollution interventions and their impact on public health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Numerous epidemiological studies have found a link between air pollution and health. We are reviewing a collection of published intervention studies with particular focus on studies assessing both improvements in air quality and associated health effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interventions, defined as events aimed at reducing air pollution or where reductions occurred as a side effect, e.g. strikes, German reunification, from the 1960s onwards were considered for inclusion. This review is not a complete record of all existing air pollution interventions. In total, 28 studies published in English were selected based on a systematic search of internet databases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall air pollution interventions have succeeded at improving air quality. Consistently published evidence suggests that most of these interventions have been associated with health benefits, mainly by the way of reduced cardiovascular and/or respiratory mortality and/or morbidity. The decrease in mortality from the majority of the reviewed interventions has been estimated to exceed the expected predicted figures based on the estimates from time-series studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is consistent evidence that decreased air pollution levels following an intervention resulted in health benefits for the assessed population.
authors.affiliation: Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. susannhenschel@gmx.de
authors.forename: Susann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henschel
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Ariana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeka
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Le Tertre
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Analitis
authors.forename: Klea
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katsouyanni
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chanel
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pascal
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Patrick G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Goodman
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology