John Spengler

Mario Molina and John Spengler, groundbreaking pioneers in the way air pollution affects human health, were honored with the 9^th Heinz Award for the Environment.

John Spengler, director of the Environmental Science and Engineering program at Harvard University’s School of Public Health, has devoted his career to studying and understanding the effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution on human health. He pioneered the development of personal monitors to measure how air pollution affects individuals as they go about their daily activities. This breakthrough helped researchers gather data critical to understanding the link between pollution and human health.

He has shown that exposure to indoor pollution can be even more harmful to human beings and their health than outdoor exposure. His work led to the recommendation of the airline smoking ban in 1986. He has not been satisfied with merely showing that fungi, molds, radon, mildew, asbestos, lead and tobacco smoke indoors can adversely affect health, but has taken the next step to improve air quality through sustainable development strategies and the design of healthier living conditions, taking into account energy efficiency, comfort and indoor air quality. Dr. Spengler has connected the dots and identified the environmental health triggers in the air that cause illness and other adverse health reactions.

The individual work of Doctors Molina and Spengler has been extraordinary. But their combined work covers the full range of human health issues related to air pollution, from indoor and ambient air pollution to the global problems of stratospheric ozone depletion and the consequences of fossil fuel combustion. These scientists have used their brilliance to heighten public awareness of the risks of air pollution and have helped to open our eyes to the impact of our own actions and championed new thinking about our stewardship of the earth’s resources.

Note: This profile was written at the time of the awards’ presentation.