Abstract

Air pollution remains a significant health issue that not only affects human health but also impacts the environment globally. It is regarded as the leading cause of respiratory diseases, which increased rapidly throughout the 21st century. The primary sources of air pollution were industrialization, urbanization, and unsustainable human activities. This network analysis paper examined medical literature related to air pollution and associated health problems. The paper constituted a systematic review of literature that included various study types, such as epidemiological studies, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies. Worldwide, air pollution was a major contributor to diseases that caused nearly 6.7 million deaths annually, making it a leading cause of premature mortality. Publicly available data from 2017 indicated that indoor air pollution alone was responsible for approximately 1.8 million deaths that year. The most susceptible populations, including children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, were the most affected. Evidence from various sources confirmed that air pollution contributed to a wide range of health problems, the nature of which often depended on a person's age.

Key words: Air pollution, particulate matter, health effects, systematic review, mortality, neurodevelopmental disorders.