Nonlinear Trajectory: From Aerosol Science to Environmental Public Health
SARAH HENDERSON,
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Abstract Number: 199
Working Group: Invited by Conference Chair
AbstractExposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) has a profound effect on the health of populations. Short-term exposure is associated with a growing list of acute health outcomes, and long-term exposure is associated with a growing list of chronic health outcomes. There seems to be no facet of human health unaffected by our air quality. The available evidence has been the impetus for drastically reducing PM emissions from sources such as vehicles and industry, but we are facing different threats as the climate changes. Smoke from wildfires is starting to dominate lifetime exposures to PM in many regions, and some jurisdictions have identified biomass fuels as climate-friendly energy sources.
The day-to-day work of environmental public health entails the synthesis, translation, and mobilization of scientific evidence into the sphere of policy and practice. Consider the example of wildfire smoke. Every year we learn more about this complex and dynamic form of air pollution from multiple disciplines: aerosol science; atmospheric science; landscape ecology; toxicology; immunology; clinical research; observational epidemiology; implementation science; and many more. The role of environmental public health is to take all of this information and digest it in response to one overarching question: what do people need to know about wildfire smoke, its health effects, and how to protect themselves?
The trajectory from aerosol science to environmental public health is nonlinear. While we all have different roles to play in reducing the harms caused by PM pollution, we are all united by the fact that our combined work
can reduce these significant and modifiable harms. This talk will help aerosol researchers better understand the field of public health and better communicate their work to this key stakeholder group.