Although epidemiological research has strongly focused in recent years on the health effects of air pollution and extreme temperatures, further investigations are needed to estimate acute effects due to short-term exposure and chronic effects for long-term exposure in national contexts characterized by a large matrix of variability in the urban and territorial fabric. Today this necessity can be satisfied thanks to the availability of "Big Data" relating to environmental and health data that provide total coverage on the national territory with an excellent level of spatial and temporal resolution.
The main objective of the BIGEPI project is to identify the risks associated with short and long-term exposure to air pollution and air temperature in the general population, in terms of effects on mortality, hospital admissions, morbidity and physiological parameters.
The project is structured into specific objectives aimed to the evaluation of acute and chronic effects in different contexts. A special focus concerns the analysis of mortality risks in the national context and in contaminated areas such as Sites of National Interest and other areas with elevated industrial activity; the chronic effects of environmental exposure will be investigated in six longitudinal studies and in eight analytical epidemiological investigations and through a detailed analysis of the possible interaction between environmental and occupational exposure and effects on morbidity.
The results of the BIGEPI project will therefore increase knowledge on the health risks associated with environmental exposures, an extremely topical issue in view of current climate change.
A project funded by INAIL “Bando Ricerche in Collaborazione BRiC 2019”.
