Air quality legislation and implications for health

Overview

There is extensive evidence on the harmful health effects of air pollution, which has guided the development of WHO's Air Quality Guidelines. These guidelines provide non-binding, evidence-based recommendations for limits on specific air pollutants to help countries create air quality legislation, including standards that protect public health. Currently, air quality standards are publicly available for 128 countries, though there is significant variation in their availability and the levels set across regions. These standards form part of a broader legislative framework that includes measures like source control, land use planning, and transportation policies. Strong air quality laws, supported by reliable monitoring and governance, are essential to improving air quality and safeguarding health.

Air quality legislation and implications for health highlights specific aspects of air quality governance, especially the need for air quality standards embedded in legislation and aligned with the WHO air quality guidelines to ensure public health protection. 

This document is part of the WHO Air Quality, Energy, and Health Science and Policy Summaries (SPS). These summaries provide concise overviews of current knowledge and evidence on air quality, energy access, climate change, and health. They aim to support decision-makers by presenting key insights from scientific research.

The SPS are developed through a multistakeholder consultation process that includes experts from WHO Advisory Groups – i.e., the Scientific Advisory Group on Air Pollution and Health (SAG), and the Global Air Pollution and Health – Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) – as well as specialists from WHO Collaborating Centres, UN agencies as well as other experts from academia and civil society.

All Science and Policy Summaries can be accessed here