ABSTRACT
The city of Sao Paulo faces specific problems of air pollution because of the combination of topography, climatic factors, and excess of motor vehicles. The traffic engineering company of the city of Sao Paulo measures systematically the mean length of traffic jams in several critical points around the city. Air pollutants can have a direct action on the lungs’ parenchyma leading to chronic obstructive airway disease, irritation and broncho-constriction and an indirect action making the lungs more susceptible to infections. In 1995, the environmental agencies introduced in their agenda some of the main control mechanisms practised in other great metropolis such as Mexico City and Santiago de Chile. In order to reduce the damaging levels of air pollution, one needs to target not only car-emission reduction but also the provision of mass transport of good quality and quantity, the alleviation of traffic congestion, and reduction in the use of private cars.
