Air pollution is air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually. This burden is greater than that of the deadliest infectious diseases. Swiss TPH belongs to the world's leading research institutions in the field of air pollution and health. Experts monitor air quality and use spatial and temporal modelling methods to estimate exposure to pollutants and their impact on public health. Their broad range of activities contributes to:

• establishing evidence of the adverse effects of pollution through innovative research;
• assessing related public health risks and impacts; and
• communicating and discussing findings with policymakers and public agencies to foster policies that favour public health and well-being.

Swiss TPH's capacity building contribution includes teaching and training in air pollution exposure, epidemiology, risk assessment and policy making at the University of Basel, the Swiss School of Public Health, the University of Geneva, ETH Zurich and a range of international institutions.

Wissenschaftlich belegt: Luftverschmutzung schadet der Gesundheit

Prof. Nicole Probst-Hensch, Head of Epidemiology and Public Health Department at Swiss TPH

Prof. Nino Künzli, Swiss TPH on behalf of the 1st International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, 7 September 2020

The main goal of EXPANSE is to address one of the most pertinent questions for urban planners, policymakers and residents in Europe: “How can we maximise health in a modern urban environment?” The project will translate its insights and innovations into research and dissemination tools that will be openly accessible via the EXPANSE toolbox. By applying innovative ethics-by-design throughout the project, the social and ethical acceptability of these tools will be safeguarded. The EXPANSE hub, which involves citizens, public sector policymakers, and private sector companies, will stimulate tool discoverability and accessibility. Further information

Swiss TPH built up and manages LUDOK, a unique documentation platform on air pollution research in Switzerland. The database summarises over 8000 scientific publications. Thanks to LUDOK, the impact of several air pollutants on people’s health can be assessed. It serves as a basis for scientifically sound environmental policies – in Switzerland and beyond.

Large scale epidemiological studies investigating long-term health effects of air pollution can typically only consider the residential locations of the participants, thereby ignoring the space-time activity patterns that likely influence total exposure. People are mobile and can be exposed to considerably different levels of air pollution or air pollution mixtures when inside vs. outside, commuting, recreating, or working. The main aim of this study is to assess whether more sophisticated estimates of individual exposure, considering population mobility, decreases the bias in health studies. Further information