Health impacts of national and local air pollution control policies targeting electric generating units, mobile sources, and port activities in three US cities

Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution Sources, Public Health Impacts, and Data Gaps in Adana Province: Evidence-Based Policy Interventions

This study comprehensively evaluates air pollution in Adana, one of Türkiye’s key industrial, urban, and transportation hubs. Using monitoring data from 2023–2025, the concentrations of major pollutants—PM2.5., PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3—were analyzed. The results were compared with standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU), and Türkiye’s national regulations, showing that PM2.5 and PM10 thresholds were frequently exceeded at several stations. A significant finding was that data capture rates remained below 60%, indicating reliability gaps in the monitoring infrastructure and weakening evidence-based policymaking. Primary sources of pollution include coal-fired power plants, the use of low-quality fuels, open burning of agricultural residues, and vehicular emissions. These factors are aggravated by Adana’s geographic and meteorological conditions, such as temperature inversions and low wind speeds, which facilitate pollutant accumulation and increase public health risks. Statistical analyses revealed notable rises in SO2 and particulate matter concentrations during winter due to residential heating, coinciding with higher respiratory illness rates. The study recommends reducing coal dependency, expanding access to natural gas, promoting sustainable transportation, restricting agricultural waste burning, and improving data transparency. The Adana case highlights air pollution as both an environmental and social justice issue.

Changes of Urban and Suburban Air Quality Patterns during the Pandemic Year 2020: Longitudinal Evidence from Three Romanian Citie

Urban areas must develop and implement air pollution-reduction strategies in order to comply with progressively stricter air quality standards. Various measures imposed during the lockdowns associated to COVID-19 pandemic worldwide made the year 2020 an exceptional period for global air pollution: air pollutant emission patterns were significantly and differently altered. Atmospheric pollutant levels varied from the lowest to the highest values. Within this context, present study aim is to emphasize comparatively the changes in major air pollutants’ concentrations PM10, PM2.5, NO, NO2, NOx, CO, SO2, O3 in three important urban centers (Bucharest, Brașov, Iași) in Romania during 2020. The contrast in mass concentrations of major air pollutants in the urban and the suburban areas of above cities has been studied using longitudinal analysis, probability density functions and change point analysis. The study outcomes extend the knowledge about air pollution at local/regional scale and are of help in designing air pollution control strategies.

Short-term monitoring of air pollutants at the port-urban exposure zone: a case study of Alexandria Port, Egypt

Smart Highway Pilots, Carbon Emissions, and Air Pollution: Evidence from China

The digitalization and intelligent transformation of transportation have emerged as technological solutions for enhancing traffic efficiency and reducing traffic-related pollutants. However, existing studies primarily focus on traditional traffic emission reduction measures, and there is limited empirical evidence demonstrating how the digitization and intelligence of road infrastructure can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and air pollutants. To address this research gap, this study employed a difference-in-differences methodology to investigate the causal effects of the Smart Highways Pilot (SHP) policy on carbon emission intensity (i.e., CO2 emissions per unit of GDP) and air pollution (i.e., PM2.5 concentrations), using data from 272 Chinese cities spanning 2012 to 2023. Our estimation results demonstrate that the implementation of the SHP policy led to an average reduction of about 4.7% in CO2 emissions per unit of GDP and a 5.1% decrease in PM2.5 concentrations, translating to an average annual abatement of approximately 707,008 tons of CO2 and a 2.204 μg/m3 drop in PM2.5 concentrations among the sample pilot cities. Furthermore, the carbon reduction and pollution mitigation effects of the SHP policy were more pronounced in regions emphasizing pilot themes, such as infrastructure digitalization and vehicle–road collaboration, cities promoting new-energy vehicles, and eastern regions. This study provides robust causal evidence for policymakers to assess the synergistic carbon abatement and pollution reduction benefits of SHP policies, while contributing to the literature on smart transportation and sustainable development, and offering valuable insights for other countries and regions on building green, low-carbon transportation systems through the digitalization and intelligent upgrading of road infrastructure.

Health impacts and prevention strategies of urban air pollution

The findings indicate that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with a significant increase in the risk of chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and premature mortality, and integrated prevention strategies-combining policy measures, planning solutions, and technological innovations have proven effective in reducing ambient pollutant levels and associated health burdens.

Global analysis of the impacts of air pollution on global health expenditures and implications for sustainable development

Air pollution has become a major global challenge, imposing substantial health and economic burdens while threatening progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates the impact of air pollution on healthcare expenditure using panel data from 95 countries over the period 2010-2020. Two complementary indicators of air pollution, emissions per unit area (EMS) and ambient PM2.5 concentration, are employed to distinguish pollution intensity from population exposure. Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models with robust standard errors are estimated to examine the direct effects of air pollution, while interaction models are used to assess the moderating roles of urbanization, industrialization, and national income levels. The results indicate that EMS significantly increases healthcare expenditure, whereas PM2.5 exhibits a counterintuitive negative association, suggesting that institutional capacity, preventive healthcare, and policy responses may influence the pollution-healthcare expenditure relationship. Urbanization mitigates the adverse effect of PM2.5, and heterogeneous impacts are observed across income groups. The findings contribute to the literature by integrating dual pollution indicators and crosscountry heterogeneity, providing evidence to support policies aimed at strengthening environmental governance, improving preventive healthcare systems, and advancing sustainable development.