Setting: Although there are proven risk factors related to air pollution, the prevalent situation in low-income countries is not well known.
Objective: To quantify the health impacts associated with particulate air pollution in the city of Algiers.
Design: Descriptive study to evaluate a health impact assessment (HIA) approach based on a dose-response curve from the literature. A study area was defined around an air quality monitoring site in Algiers. Daily health data were obtained from a network of physicians practising in out-patient health centres.
Results: Over the period studied, the number of consultations for respiratory reasons attributable to PM10 exposure was 439, representing 4.5% of all health events observed. Different scenarios were examined, showing that a reduction in ambient levels of PM10 would be accompanied by important public health gains.
Conclusion: The study allowed us to test the applicability of the HIA approach in a low-income country and to confirm the interest of the approach. Although the estimation of dose-response functions obeys a complex methodology, the HIA is an alternative that constitutes an important decision-making tool.