Abstract
Within the European Union, air pollution is highest in Poland. The aim of this study was to compare the awareness of Polish pulmonologists and that of patients with respiratory diseases about the impact of air pollution on health. It was a crossover study with voluntary and anonymous participation. The study included 309 pulmonologists and 262 patients with respiratory diseases. The majority of the patients declared good knowledge about the impact of air pollution on health, and only 16% of the pulmonologists declared sufficient knowledge on this topic. The main sources of information on air pollution were radio and television for patients and the medical press for doctors. Doctors rarely informed patients about the impact of air pollution on their disease. Patients followed information on the quality of air in their areas more often than doctors. Polish patients’ knowledge about the main sources of air pollution in their areas was higher than the knowledge of pulmonologists. Patients declared knowledge of air pollution standards twice as often as doctors. Patients with respiratory diseases are interested in the effects of air pollution on their health. Polish patients’ knowledge about air pollution and its health effects is higher than that of the specialists treating them. Professional education of Polish pulmonologists in this field is needed.
Highlights
The latest report of the European Environment Agency indicates the highest concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the European Union are found in Poland [1]
The aim of the study was to compare the awareness of pulmonologists and patients with respiratory diseases about the impact of air pollution on health, as well as assess the sources of this knowledge and its implementations in practice
Howin no other European country, and the same is true for concentrations of particulate matter, ever, attention should be paid to the special position of Poland as regards air pollution in which are not as high as in Poland in the other European Union countries [1]
Summary
The latest report of the European Environment Agency indicates the highest concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in the European Union are found in Poland [1]. Every year in Poland, more than 48,000 people die prematurely due to air pollution, which is the highest rate in Europe in relation to a country’s population [2]. The respiratory system is exposed to the inhalation of polluted air [4,5]. Intense air pollution exacerbates lung diseases (e.g., asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—COPD), increasing the number of hospitalizations and deaths, with significant direct and indirect costs [6,7]. Air pollution is responsible for the development of obstructive pulmonary diseases [8,9]. The presence of pollutants in the home environment causes an increased incidence of respiratory infections [10]. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified atmospheric air pollution, especially, particulate matter, into the first group of human carcinogens [11]
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