Abstract
An important aspect of the new sustainable development goals (SDGs) is a greater emphasis on reducing the health impacts from ambient air pollution in developing countries. Meanwhile, the burden of human disease attributable to ambient air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa is growing, yet estimates of its impact on the region are possibly underestimated due to a lack of air quality monitoring, a paucity of air pollution epidemiological studies, and important population vulnerabilities in the region. The lack of ambient air pollution epidemiologic data in sub-Saharan Africa is also an important global health disparity. Thousands of air pollution health effects studies have been conducted in Europe and North America, rather than in urban areas that have some of the highest measured air pollution levels in world, including urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa. In this paper, we provide a systematic and narrative review of the literature on ambient air pollution epidemiological studies that have been conducted in the region to date. Our review of the literature focuses on epidemiologic studies that measure air pollutants and relate air pollution measurements with various health outcomes. We highlight the gaps in ambient air pollution epidemiological studies conducted in different sub-regions of sub-Saharan Africa and provide methodological recommendations for future environmental epidemiology studies addressing ambient air pollution in the region.
Highlights
IntroductionRecent global burden of disease modeling suggests that low-income countries of sub-Saharan
Recent global burden of disease modeling suggests that low-income countries of sub-SaharanAfrica (SSA) suffer the highest burden of disease and premature death attributable to environmental pollution [1]
We highlight the gaps in ambient air pollution epidemiological studies conducted in different sub-regions of sub-Saharan Africa and provide methodological recommendations for future environmental epidemiology studies addressing ambient air pollution in the region
Summary
Recent global burden of disease modeling suggests that low-income countries of sub-Saharan. Africa (SSA) suffer the highest burden of disease and premature death attributable to environmental pollution [1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ambient air pollution (AAP) levels exceed recommended limits for as much as 92% of the world’s population [2], and, compared to all other forms of environmental pollution (e.g., water, soil, and occupational), air pollution causes the largest number of environmental pollution-related deaths [1]. In SSA, there is a paucity of AAP epidemiological studies. The most recent report on the global burden of disease attributable to air pollution derived their AAP burden estimates using integrated exposure–response functions based on data entirely from North American (US and Canada) and European epidemiologic studies [4].
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