Establishing a baseline of published air pollution and health research studies in the Waterberg- Bojanala Priority Area

Abstract

Though originally the Waterberg-Bojanala Priority Area (WBPA) was strategically declared as an air quality priority area due to potential future air pollution risks, it is now a confirmed air pollution hotspot. More research is needed to assess the health impacts of air pollution in the WBPA. The aim of this study was to conduct an umbrella review to establish a baseline of the peer-reviewed research which has been conducted and published to assess the health outcomes associated with air pollution exposure, specifically in the WBPA. Just over seventy peer-reviewed research studies were included, based on the systematic search criteria. Fewer than ten studies considered air quality and health in the WBPA (as opposed to only air quality) and of these studies, only a few collected human health data in relation to air pollution exposure. Identified studies together showed that poor air quality is a problem in the WBPA, with ambient air quality levels often exceeding national ambient air quality standards. Based on the findings, we recommend that more focused health studies be conducted in the WBPA to advance our understanding of the air pollution-related health burden at the population and the individual level. Such studies will help bolster the baseline evidence of the impacts of air pollution on human health and wellbeing in the WBPA and support decision-making in the future.