Air pollution is one of the most dangerous environmental problems, causing many adverse health effects and responsible for 50,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. The US National Ambient Air Quality Standards are based primarily on the atmospheric concentration of air pollutants, such as ozone and particulate matter, which cause adverse health effects. Researchers at UC Davis are working on numerous aspects of this problem, including:

• characterizing emissions using a wide range of physical and chemical analytical instruments
• examining atmospheric chemistry and air pollutant transport using mathematical models as well as laboratory and ambient measurements
• investigating the biological mechanisms of air pollutant toxicity employing a range of animal models of human response and pre-existing conditions
• developing science-based, cost-effective policies