PEOPLE CAN DETECT POOR AIR-QUALITY WELL BELOW GUIDELINE CONCENTRATIONS - A PREVALENCE STUDY OF ANNOYANCE REACTIONS AND AIR-POLLUTION FROM TRAFFIC

Objectives--Motor vehicle exhaust fumes are the main source of atmosph eric pollution in cities in industrialised countries. They cause respi ratory disease and annoy people exposed to them. The relation between ambient exposure to air pollution mainly from motor vehicles and annoy ance reactions in a general population was assessed. Also, the importa nce of factors such as age, sex, respiratory disease, access to the us e of a car, and smoking habits on the reporting of these reactions was studied. Methods--A postal questionnaire was sent out in 55 urban are as in Sweden that had nearly identical air quality monitoring stations of the urban air monitoring network. From each area, 150 people aged 16-70 were randomly selected. The questionnaire contained questions on perception of air quality as well as a question on how of the exhaust fumes were annoying. Results--Six-monthly nitrogen dioxide concentrat ions correlated consistently with the prevalence of reported annoyance related to air pollution and traffic exhaust fumes. Black smoke and s ulphur dioxide had no significant effects. The frequency of reporting annoyance reactions was higher among people with asthma, women, and pe ople with lack of access to a car. Conclusions--In this study town dwe llers could detect poor air quality at concentrations well below curre nt guidelines for outdoor air pollution. This suggests that questionna ire studies have a place in monitoring air quality.