Public perceptions of the health risks of air pollution in five cities: Understanding the role of atmospheric decontamination plans

Urban areas in southern Chile have some of the highest levels of air pollution in Latin America. The primary cause is the use of wood-burning stoves for heating, which can account for more than 90% of the total atmospheric contamination in this area. The central and local governments have developed different strategies to address this problem; one of the main policies is called Atmospheric Decontamination Plan (ADP), which creates incentives to use more eco-friendly heater systems and restrict the use of wood-burning stoves during the winter season. The objective of the ADP is focused on reducing the emission of and . This research explores the impact of the implementation of ADP on the population’s health risk perception, which is a key element at individual and collective levels for developing mitigation and adaption strategies. Studies show that individuals with a low-risk perception of air pollution are less likely to develop self-protection strategies. A regression model was used to analyze 1456 surveys with residents of cities with and without ADP. The results show that residents of cities with ADP present higher levels of risk perception than those who live in urban areas where ADP has not been implemented. The absence of ADP is not only harmful because of the lack of incentives and regulatory mechanisms for proper air quality management but also because delaying the application of an ADP in a polluted city influences people’s ability to adequately perceive the daily hazards to which they are exposed.