Air quality and human health in urban settlement: Case study of Kuala Lumpur city

Abstract

Population growth and urbanisation are potentially affecting the environmental quality and human health. Studies have been carried out to understand the “chain of causality” between human activities and air pollution, as well as air quality and human health. Environmental health indicators were reviewed and selected for this study with Kuala Lumpur city as case study. Environmental health was defined as “human health and disease” that are determined by factors in the environment and “environmental conditions” which affect the quality of health. In this research, ambient air quality level of the city and the air related health condition of residents were analysed. In this case study, the relationship between urban landuses, air quality and air related health were examined and were found to have strong and significant relationships, even though, air pollution is a trans-boundary issue. Results from the research have shown that city landuses and traffic generation in a city affect the air quality level (number of unhealthy days as measured in API) and its residents' health.