PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nino Künzli
AU  - Regula Rapp
AU  - Laura Perez
TI  - “Breathe Clean Air”: the role of physicians and healthcare professionals
AID  - 10.1183/20734735.103114
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - Breathe
PG  - 214--219
VI  - 10
IP  - 3
4099  - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/10/3/214.short
4100  - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/10/3/214.full
SO  - Breathe2014 Sep 01; 10
AB  - The health effects of air pollution have a lot in common with those related to active or passive smoking. However, environmental problems pose a rather different set of challenges to physicians and other healthcare professionals. Four target levels of action may result in a reduction of the health impact of air pollution. The first two levels act on the environment rather than the individual: 1) abatement of ambient air pollution at the source to improve ambient air quality; and 2) reduction of pollution in the indoor environments where people spend most of their time. The other two downstream strategies depend entirely on the individual: 3) individual action to reduce personal exposure or dose; and 4) treatments taken to modify personal responses to air pollution, and/or to strengthen defence mechanisms.