OZONE POLLUTION AND HEALTH: A SUBJECT FIELD REVIEW

The last few years we have seen an increased attention to the topic of ground-level ozone. In response to a rapidly increasing number of publications, a subject field review has been conducted to summarize the existing literature on the effects of tropospheric ozone on the human health. In this review the possible health outcomes that have been caused by ozone are addressed. The search was conducted in the Scopus electronic database from 2019 to 2021. This period was not covered by other reviews. Also a distinctive feature of this review is the classification of articles by type of ozone exposure and its duration. A total of 1,291 articles were found; 36 articles were selected and included in this review based on predetermined eligibility criteria. Most of the studies addressed the effect of ozone on exacerbation of respiratory disease, which is due to the direct effect of polluted air on the lungs. Most of the publications on the relationship between ozone and health outcomes were created by researchers in China. Prior to 2019, the issue of ozone was limited to respiratory and cardiovascular disease-related outcomes. For more relevant associations of ground-level ozone with possible health outcomes, more studies from outside of China are needed. The review under consideration is up to date and can be used as a source of information by the researchers and those who are interested in the problem of interconnection between ozone pollution and health.