Australian Child Health and Air Pollution Study (ACHAPS)

This final report of the Australian Child Health and Air Pollution Study (ACHAPS) looks into the long and short term health effects of air pollution on Australian children. The report was conducted by COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water. The study aims were to:

• provide an evidence base of long-term and short-term health effects of air pollutants in Australian children that will contribute to the review of National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure (NEPM) standards  
• obtain quantitative effect estimates for the association between children’s historical lifetime exposure to the criteria air pollutants contained in the NEPM (O3, PM10, PM2.5, NO2, CO, SO2
• obtain quantitative estimates of the prospective day-to-day association between the criteria air pollutants and (a) incidence of respiratory symptoms, and (b) lung function in school children with a history of asthma, aged 7–11 years at baseline ) and (a) the period prevalence of adverse health outcomes such as respiratory symptoms (asthma, cough and wheeze), and (b) lung function
•  determine whether any effects are modified by other factors, such as socio-economic disadvantage, geographical area, sex, activity patterns and obesity.      (APO 30 May 2012)