Through a comprehensive search of the literature, our aim is to assist clinicians and public health professionals in developing health protection measures that are most likely to protect the population from the cardiovascular effects of short-term air pollution and are based on best current evidence. [...] Framework of potential information to include in health protection measures against the short-term cardiovascular effects of air pollution Harmful pollutants Populations vulnerable to Factors increasing for people with or at cardiovascular effects of short-term exposure to risk of CVD short-term air pollution air pollution •Elderly •Increased PM •Persons with pre- concentration of No existing CVD [...] Alerting vulnerable populations to the risk of short-term air pollution Most cities and provinces currently use a variety of air quality indices and short-term pollution alert systems for public health protection purposes. [...] We had planned to (1) review health protection short-term measures against air pollution in the scientific literature, public health sources, pollution advisories and clinical sources, in Canada and internationally, (2) review risk factors associated with morbidity or mortality related to air pollution, (3) systematically review the efficacy of existing and potential individual health protection m [...] For instance, a better understanding of factors such as the level of physical activity, proximity to air pollution sources, dose-response relations between concentration of outdoor air pollutants and pathophysiological responses, types of physical barriers halting outdoor air pollutants, indoor air penetration rates would all facilitate the development of valid health protection measures.