Interventions to cut ambient and household air pollution could impact health inequities: The experience of the INSP, Mexico

Recent released WHO study on the air pollution burden of disease indicates that its adverse public health impacts are more serious than previously thought. Exposure to air pollution varies spatially, and these variations have been shown to follow social gradients, being poorer communities and neighborhoods prone to be located closer to the main sources of pollutants, e.g. transportation based mainly on private automobile or industrial areas etc. The type of exposure also varies according to social gradients, being the use of solid fuels prevalent almost exclusively in poor rural and indigenous communities, and in poor neighborhoods in the cities. Mexico is in the process of changing its national legislation on air quality. The presenter will review the current situation of the distribution of ambient and household emissions of air pollution in Mexico, and indicate how the implementation of different proposed policies to comply with the new legislation could have an impact on health inequities in the country.