Impact of Ambient Air Pollution on Public Health under Various Traffic Policies in Shanghai, China

ObjectiveTo investigate the potential impact of ambient air pollution on public health under various traffic policies in Shanghai.MethodsThe exposure level of Shanghai residents to air pollution under various planned traffic scenarios was estimated, and the public health impact was assessed using concentration-response functions derived from available epidemiological studies.ResultsOur results showed that ambient air pollution in relation to traffic scenarios had a significant impact on the future health status of Shanghai residents. Compared with the base case scenario, implementation of various traffic scenarios could prevent 759-1574, 1885-2420, and 2277-2650 PM10-related avoidable deaths (mean-value) in 2010, 2015, and 2020, respectively. It could also decrease the incidence of several relevant diseases.ConclusionOur findings emphasize the need to consider air pollution-related health effects as an important impact of traffic policy in Shanghai.