Summary of Group Understanding

[salihakalender]

Summary of Group Understanding

Global Urban Pollution Profiles and Shared Health Impacts

Our team shares a common understanding that air pollution is not a uniform or isolated phenomenon. It is part of a complex, interconnected system involving urban infrastructure, economic activity, human behavior, and environmental feedback loops. While air quality indices like the AQI offer a surface-level snapshot, they often obscure the real differences in pollutant types and their unique health risks across regions. We believe that recognizing the dominant pollutant in each city can reveal deeper insights into the specific health burdens communities face—particularly for those with pre-existing vulnerabilities.

One of our team members shared a deeply personal experience: her mother, who has asthma, suffers greatly when visiting cities with poor air quality. Even brief exposure leads to weeks of medication, discomfort, and a struggle to breathe. This personal story resonated with us all, reminding us that clean air is not a luxury—it is a basic human need. For millions of people, knowing which cities are actually safe to live in or visit remains a critical and unanswered question.

Our shared approach is shaped by systems thinking. We see air pollution not only as a product of emissions, but as part of a dynamic system with multiple layers: policy choices, socioeconomic conditions, atmospheric processes, and public health outcomes. For example, traffic regulations may alter pollution levels, which in turn influence health burdens and economic productivity—feeding back into future policy decisions. Recognizing these feedback loops helps us approach the issue in a more holistic and practical way.

With this in mind, we aim to:

• Classify cities by their dominant pollutants,

• Understand how these profiles align with respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes, and

• Identify regional patterns that can inform more targeted, system-aware interventions.

By connecting environmental data with public health evidence and personal lived experiences, we hope our research contributes to more compassionate and effective air quality solutions—especially for the most affected populations.