Table 1 Strategies and technologies to mitigate exposure to air pollution (adapted from Burns et al. [131] and Rajagopalan et al. [35])
Societal and governmental interventions | |
Technology and infrastructure | |
  • Cleaner vehicles, e.g., lower or no emissions vehicles, investment in public transportation, reduce the sulfur content of motor fuels | |
  • Less polluting industrial sources and transport, e.g., implementation of emissions filters and better equipment (i.e., diesel particle traps, catalytic converters) | |
  • More efficient energy generation – lower emission fuels or renewable sources (e.g., wind, solar) for energy generation | |
  • Increased investments in cycling and public transport infrastructure to encourage active transport | |
Increasing the distance between populations and pollution | |
  • Zoning laws, e.g., requiring new residential areas, schools, daycares and elder care facilities to be located at certain distances from major roadways or polluting industries | |
  • Shifting polluting industry away from city centers, restrict trucks from city centers | |
Education | |
  • Air quality monitoring combined with public health warning systems | |
  • Publicity campaigns to increase public awareness and compliance alongside pollution prevention initiatives | |
  • Media campaigns to mitigate lobbying activities by industries involved in power and transport | |
Regulation and policy | |
  • Congestion charging schemes | |
  • Residential wood or coal burning bans or regulations | |
  • Emissions standards | |
Individual or household interventions | |
Improving indoor air quality | |
  • Switch to cleaner-burning fuels for fireplaces and cooking stoves | |
  • Use of mechanical ventilation and/or reducing use of natural ventilation to reduce infiltration of polluted outdoor air into homes and buildings | |
  • Installation of portable air cleaners in homes | |
Behavioral change | |
  • Avoid commutes during rush hour or avoid busy roads during active transport | |
  • Transition to healthier lifestyles (e.g., exercise, healthy diet) to reduce risk of comorbid conditions that increase vulnerability to the health impacts of air pollution; preventative medications and screening programs |