Opportunities to Develop SPARTAN for

Public HealthSumi Mehta and Tom Matte

smehta@vitalstrategies.org

Our Vision

We envision a world where everyone is protected by a strong

public health system

Our Programs

Tobacco Control Research Data for Health

Maternal Health Road SafetyObesity Prevention

Partnership for

Healthier Cities

Environmental

HealthCVD Prevention and

Epidemic Preparedness

3

Bolstering Public Health Systems to

Improve Air Quality

Public Health Intelligence

Improved environmental

health surveillance

Strategic Communications

Generate concern about air

pollution and advocacy for

clean air in the public and

health sector

Institutional Strengthening

Strengthen governmental

action

4

Air Pollution is among the top 10 global health risk factors

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Diet low in whole grains

Impaired kidney function

Household air pollution from solid fuels

Alcohol use

Ambient particulate matter pollution

High total cholesterol

High body-mass index

High fasting plasma glucose

Smoking

High systolic blood pressure

ANNUAL NUMBER OF DEATHS (MILLIONS)

Cardiovascular diseases

Chronic respiratory diseases

Cancer

Lower respiratory infections

Top Causes of Air Pollution Death

Source: IHME, 2017

Global Burden of Disease, 2016

Goal: ensure active engagement to address air pollution to promote public health

Strengthening Public Health Intelligence:Enabling local exposure, burden of disease, and impact estimates

Current Comparison

D Air Quality

Baseline

Incidence

Rate

Exposed

Population

Estimated

change in health

incidence

=

X

X

X

Exposure-

Response

Function

NYC DOHMH

https://www.stateofglobalair.org/data/#/air/map

https://www.stateofglobalair.org/data/#/air/map

Needed: Strengthened Global Air Quality Data

Source: WHO, “Ambient Air Pollution: A Global Assessment of Exposure and Burden of Disease.”

Challenges of Current Scenario

• Sparse surface monitors in heavily polluted regions, little coverage beyond urban centers

• Monitoring data of varying quality and reliability

• Available data not publicly available or in easy to interpret format

Air Quality Management Success

FactorsACTIONS!

Regulations, etc

Emissions from multiple sources

Outdoor air quality

Population exposure

Human healthAdapted from: “Chain of Accountability” 2003.

Health Effects Institute, Boston MA.

• Political leadership

• Civil society pressure

• Fact-based media and

public discourse

• Data availability and use

• Dissemination, transparency

• Multi-sector coordination

• Monitoring and enforcement

Action drivers

Technical capacity

Challenges of Current Scenario

Limited air pollution monitoring and source apportionment data + limited resources

= limited ability to raise awareness, inform and implement local air quality management

How to add value to low-cost

monitoring

#4

Boilers

#6

Boilers

Switches to

Natural Gas or

Dual

Switches

to USL2

% Conversion to

Clean Heat

SO2 Emissions

Reduced (Tons)*

% of SO2 Emissions

reduced from residual

Oil*

City-wide 3187 4930 1351 655 25% 2878 35%

CB12 370 456 77 43 15% 171 28%

2008 2013

Anchor with

reference methods

Know where you are

measuring

Link to sources*

*note: not all leading sources will originate within the city limits!

Example: Transboundary

Pollution in SE Asia

http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/03/indonesian

-fires-bring-more-haze-southeast-asia

https://blog.ucsusa.org/doug-boucher/sources-of-the-haze-in-

southeast-asia-fires-are-quickly-located-with-public-gis-data-167

Palm oil production practices → fires →

regional air quality impacts

• Global: household emissions contribute ~15%

(4 ug/m3) of PM2.5

• Contributes ~ 30% of AAP in India, China and

Nepal

→Exposures at household, community, and

regional levels

• Updated, spatially resolved source

apportionment data needed to inform priority of

this source

Example: Household Air PollutionSolid fuel emissions are a major source of ambient air pollution in many countries

Chafe, 2016

Example

“Gaps exist in the current media discourse on air pollution, suggesting the need for strengthening engagement with the media

as a means of creating citizen engagement and enabling policy action. Through greater elaboration of the health burdens and

evidence-based policy actions, the media can play a critical role in galvanizing India’s action on air quality…”

www.healtheffects.org

http://www.who-seajph.org/downloadpdf.asp?issn=2224-

3151;year=2017;volume=6;issue=2;spage=41;epage=50;aulast=Murukutla;type=2

Goal: Data Informs Public Awareness / Demand for

Action → Increased Political Will → Better AQM →

Cleaner Air → Public Health Benefits

SPARTAN Data Can Help Reverse These

Trends!