摘要：Pollution of the air have been known since the early man discovered fire and started to use biomass for heatingand preparing food. However, many people consider that ambient air pollution is a modern phenomenon linked toindustrial development, although health problems related to air pollution have been known before the industrial age.London has always been considered synonymous with of air pollution due to heavy industrial activity and use ofpoor quality coal for heating and industrial purposes. The famous London smog (smoke and fog) in 1950, which wasmainly due to particles and sulfur dioxide, resulted in a significantly increased mortality. Today, such pollutionepisodes are much less frequent in developed Western countries, whereas they still occurs in some Asia countrieswith very high levels of air pollution due to the burning of biomass and very high daily concentrations, especiallyduring the winter. The London smog episode became the catalyst for modern air pollution research and regulation ofair pollution based upon health outcome. It is now widely accepted that exposure to outdoor air pollution isassociated with a broad range of acute and chronic health effects, ranging from minor physiological disturbances todeath from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
