Relationship Between Disabilities and Air Quality
摘要
Air quality is the leading environmental risk to human health. Numerous researchers have investigated the potential impact of air pollutant exposure on people’s health. Globally, the effect of air pollutants on human beings depends on exposed population groups. Within this frame, people with disabilities are more susceptible to occurring or aggravating diseases than nondisabilities due to air pollutant exposure. In addition, age is an influencing factor in responding to air pollution exposure. This chapter conveys state-of-the-art research about the impact of air pollutant exposure on people with disabilities. To achieve this objective, this chapter includes issues related to disabilities, air quality, and proof of potentially damaging effects. A relevant aspect of this chapter is the calculation of health indicators to evaluate the weight of air pollutants on people with disabilities, which is fundamental to knowing the burden of disease associated with disabled individuals. Finally, potential challenges concerning environmental health and the disabled population are addressed, such as climate change. Science-based evidence suggests that chronic and acute diseases in people with disabilities are due to air pollutant exposure and modulated by diverse factors. Despite this, studies linking air pollution and this population cluster are highly limited. For this reason, investigations providing scientific knowledge are highly approvingly justified. This topic should be addressed by public health managers, scholars, scientists, technicians, and others, thereby covering a wide scientific community.