Perspectives on Climate Mediated Health Effects of Air Pollution

The atmospheric physical and chemical processes can greatly alter the concentration, type and composition of air pollutants when they interact with weather conditions such as solar radiation, temperature, wind, and relative humidity. While the health effects of air pollution have subject to intensive research investigation for the past several decades, how climate especially extreme weather events mediates the effects of air pollution on health has received little attention. This research offers perspectives on interdisciplinary data and methodologies to conduct research on climate mediated health effects of air pollution, and future implications of such this type of research to face and manage the challenges of global warming. We will discuss an application of the effects of criteria pollutants (PM2.5, CO, O3, NO2, SO2 and Pb), mediated by extreme temperature and precipitation, on adverse birth outcomes, including premature delivery and low birth weight.