Benefits of Exposure reduction to coal combuStion producTs and resulting improvements in Air quality and respiratory and mental Health

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Tamara Schikowski
• Subject Area: Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics ; Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564133698

Air pollution is one of the main causes of illness and death. In the European Union, only 2% of the population has access to clean air. Air pollution is decreasing in Western Europe, but is still a significant problem in Eastern Europe. Air pollution is a transnational problem. Air pollution emanating from Poland has an impact on neighboring countries. There is no organ system in the human body that is not damaged by air pollution. It is known that the respiratory tract is the first target and that the damage is caused by local inflammatory mechanisms and oxidative stress. One of the consequences is an accelerated decline in lung function. This is all the more alarming as lung function is an indicator of life expectancy and general health. Particulate matter (PM2.5) enters the bloodstream and can reach every part of the body, including the brain. Air pollution accelerates the ageing of the European Union's population, overburdens the healthcare system and significantly reduces quality of life. This can lead to accelerated neurodegeneration. There is limited knowledge about how better air quality affects health and longevity. There is also insufficient knowledge of the extent to which other environmental and lifestyle factors exacerbate or mitigate the effects of air pollution. What we know little about is whether and to what extent improvements in air quality benefit human health and longevity. We know even less about how other environmental factors, such as noise and green space, and lifestyle factors, such as diet, increase or decrease the effects of air pollution. The German-Polish joint project is investigating the health status of vulnerable ageing population groups in Germany and Poland. The aim is to determine whether people with similar living conditions have more health problems and age differently due to air pollution. For this purpose, the SALIA and NAKO cohort studies are used and an identical methodology is applied to create a starting point for a new Polish cohort of older people aged 65 and over. The study is modelled on German cohort studies. It analyses residents of the heavily polluted Silesian coalfields and the cleaner Tri-City area. Lung function is examined using spirometry and cognitive function using standardized questionnaires. The environmental impact is calculated using the EU-wide established EXPANSE method. The state of health is compared using the German and Polish cohorts. In addition, registers will be used to calculate the effects of air pollution on respiratory and neurological diseases. The project provides new approaches to risk assessment and an evidence base for future prevention strategies in Poland. The reduction of air pollution in Poland also has an impact on cross-border air pollution in Germany. The Polish project partners have experience with the epidemiology of air pollution, which can be deepened through co-operation with the German partners.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Poland
• Co-Investigator: Professor Artur Badyda, Ph.D.
• Cooperation Partners: Privatdozent Dr. Grzegorz Dziubanek, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Iana Markevych, Ph.D.