Air pollution is still an environmental and health problem in Europe due to the deterioration of air quality and its impact on citizens’ health. Consolidated knowledge on the impact of air pollutants, especially the unregulated ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC) is lacking. Moreover, a direct assessment of the associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and health outcomes using individual-level data has not yet been conducted in Portugal, mainly due to a lack of harmonisation of individual clinical data. To overcome these research gaps, HEART project aims to develop an integrated and holistic methodology to assess the health impacts of air pollution, based on air quality monitoring and modelling and an epidemiological study using harmonized individual level clinical data, contributing to a better and more detailed knowledge of the links between air quality, exposure and incidence of different diseases. To attain this goal, HEART is structured into 6 main activities:
A1- Project management, communication and dissemination
A2-Air quality and exposure measuring
A3-Air quality and exposure modelling and mapping
A4-Health data and linkage
A5-Epidemiological study
A6-Open Science and Reusability
The project’s methodology and outputs will be based on the application of established methods, emerging tools and novel approaches, namely:
-Use of the “air view” equipped car to measure concentrations of air pollutants, namely nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5, UFP and BC) at high spatial and temporal scale
-Application of land use regression and dispersion modelling, including source-apportionment, for mapping of air quality levels for long-term exposure
-Development and implementation of a programming module to simulate the dispersion of UFP and BC
-Use of electronic medical records (EMR) from 2 health units in the study area, and assigning air pollution concentrations to each individual via their residential address, which allows for conducting a multi-centre epidemiological study, to assess air pollution impacts on morbidity and mortality outcomes.
-Provide a set of science-based recommendations built on continuous collaboration with stakeholders and decision makers during the project to ensure an effective awareness of air quality and public health action needs, promoting the reusability of HEART methodology and supporting the development of strategies for better health and well-being.
-Produce and deliver valuable ambient air pollutants exposure and epidemiological metrics that allow Portugal to collaborate in international European studies on the effects of environmental exposure on (urban) human health.
-Communicate and disseminate HEART methodology and outcomes among stakeholders and populations via social media platforms and among researchers through scientific publications and conference communications.
HEART team members have an extraordinary scientific knowledge and experience in the multidisciplinary and complementary fields of air quality modelling and monitoring, environmental epidemiology, and medical statistics.
As such, this is the first project where a hyperlocal air pollution exposure map of a large Portuguese urban area for several air pollutants is produced, similarly to what has been done in other large European cities, providing insights to policymakers to guide exposure mitigation efforts and inform citizens about their exposures. Moreover, HEART outcomes intend to highlight the potential of detailed and individualised clinical data to promote the health and well-being of patients, and encourage the willingness to extend the availability of harmonised health data in hospitals and health care units in Portugal.
