Respiratory diseases and health disorders related to indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Among all the diseases of the lungs and airways, chronic respiratory diseases are the major concern to public health. Chronic respiratory diseases are a group of chronic conditions that can affect all age groups, last many years, and greatly limit the physical abilities of people suffering from them. Together, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the two most important respiratory diseases, are likely to affect more than 500 million people all over the world. For the control of these diseases, which have extremely high direct and indirect costs, the most cost-effective interventions are often represented by the removal of the risk factors and by people health education.