Editorial: The Link Between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Diseases

Air pollution constitutes a major global environmental health problem and has been reported to cause approximately 2 million premature deaths worldwide every year. Both indoor and outdoor pollutants pose serious danger to health. The WHO Air quality guidelines prescribe limits for the concentration of selected air pollutants: particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), applicable across all WHO regions. It also specifically recommends that a reduction in particulate matter (PM10) pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per cubic metre can significantly reduce air quality-related deaths by around 15%.