Ultrafine aerosol particles in ambient air: Perspectives to elucidate their health effects

This paper outlines perspectives to further investigate the health effects of ultrafine particles (UFPs; aerodynamic diameter < 100 nm) in ambient air. Although UFPs are currently not subject to legal regulation, evidence from about 50 epidemiological studies and toxicological findings suggest harmful effects of ambient UFPs upon human health. In the coming years large quantities of health data will be provided by the National Cohort of Germany (NAKO, Nationale Kohorte). On the other hand, ambient concentrations of UFPs are provided by the German Ultrafine Aerosol Network (GUAN). It is proposed to exploit the synergies of these resources, taking into consideration three types of epidemiological studies for UFP-related health research: a) time-series analyses of short-term effects (using death registers, emergency responses, hospitalisations), b) cohort studies on long-term effects, and c) panel studies on short-term effects.