ABSTRACT
The health of as many as 1.6 billion people living in urban areas throughout the world may be at risk from poor air quality. Without the effective implementation of pollution control policies and measures this number may rise as pollution emissions from motor vehicles, industry and households escalate and the population expands. The city authorities recognise that air pollution threatens the health of its residents, the greater the opportunity for achieving acceptable air quality in a short time and at low cost. City authorities first need to assess the health and environmental risks posed by pollutants in their city. Sustaining acceptable air quality during the twenty-first century once it has been attained may be as difficult as achieving it in the first place. The changing nature and pattern of pollutant emissions in urban areas means that vigilance is needed in the form of an extensive air quality monitoring network.
