1
|
Zhang Z, Wang S, Yu W, Wang P, Zhang H. Health Impacts of Fine Particulate Matter Shift Due to Urbanization in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39141343 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c05146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in diverse anthropogenic activities and emissions between urban and non-urban regions, leading to varying levels of exposure to air pollutants and associated health risks. However, endeavors to mitigate air pollution and health benefits have displayed considerable heterogeneity across different regions. Therefore, comprehending the changes in air pollutant concentrations and health impacts within an urbanization context is imperative for promoting environmental equity. This paper uses gross domestic product (GDP)- and population-weighted methods to distinguish anthropogenic emissions from urban and non-urban areas in China and quantified their contributions to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model in 2010 and 2019. Anthropogenic emissions from urban and non-urban (outside urban) regions decreased by 26 and 44% from 2010 to 2019, respectively, resulting in 31 and 28% reductions of PM2.5 in China. PM2.5-related premature mortality attributed to non-urban and urban anthropogenic emission decreases by 8%. Non-urban anthropogenic activities are the main contributor to PM2.5 (56% in 2010 and 2019) and its associated premature mortality (59%), which also predominantly affects non-urban premature mortality (37-42% in 2010-2019). Population changes increase the proportion of premature mortality in urban populations (7-19%) from 2010 to 2019. This study emphasizes the shift of affected populations due to urbanization and population changes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaolei Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenxuan Yu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Wang
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
- Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) International Center of Excellence (ICoE) on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Boundary Dynamics and Climate Change, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongliang Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Particle Pollution and Prevention, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
- Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) International Center of Excellence (ICoE) on Risk Interconnectivity and Governance on Weather/Climate Extremes Impact and Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
- Institute of Eco-Chongming, Shanghai 200438, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen X, Jiang Z, Shen Y, Wang S, Shindell D, Zhang Y. Ozone Mortality Burden Changes Driven by Population Aging and Regional Inequity in China in 2013-2050. GEOHEALTH 2024; 8:e2024GH001058. [PMID: 39086930 PMCID: PMC11286545 DOI: 10.1029/2024gh001058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Air pollution exposure is closely linked to population age and socioeconomic status. Population aging and imbalance in regional economy are thus anticipated to have important implications on ozone (O3)-related health impacts. Here we provide a driver analysis for O3 mortality burden due to respiratory disease in China over 2013-2050 driven by population aging and regional inequity. Unexpectedly, we find that population aging is estimated to result in dramatic rises in annual O3 mortality burden in China; by 56, 101-137, and 298-485 thousand over the periods 2013-2020, 2020-2030, and 2030-2050, respectively. This reflects the exponential rise in baseline mortality rates with increasing age. The aging-induced mortality burden rise in 2030-2050 is surprisingly large, as it is comparable to the net national mortality burden due to O3 exposure in 2030 (359-399 thousand yr-1). The health impacts of O3 pollution, shown as mortality burden per capita, are inequitably distributed, with more severe effects in less developed provinces than their developed counterparts by 23.1% and 21.5% in 2019 and 2030, respectively. However, the regional inequity in O3 mortality burden is expected to be mitigated in 2050. This temporal variation reflects evolving demographic dividend characterized by a larger proportion of younger individuals in developed regions. These findings are critical for targeted improvement of healthcare services to ensure the sustainability of social development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaokang Chen
- School of Earth and Space SciencesUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Zhe Jiang
- School of Earth and Space SciencesUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Yanan Shen
- School of Earth and Space SciencesUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Shuxiao Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution ControlSchool of EnvironmentTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution ComplexBeijingChina
| | - Drew Shindell
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Yuqiang Zhang
- Big Data Research Center for Ecology and EnvironmentShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Du C, Liu W. Defending against environmental threats: Unveiling household adaptation strategies and population heterogeneity. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 190:108858. [PMID: 38954925 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Humanity faces a variety of risks from pollution and environmental degradation. Societal advancement has equipped the public with numerous self-protection measures to mitigate these threats. However, the ways in which individuals deploy and balance self-defence mechanisms within this complex risk landscape and the resulting consequences remain largely unexplored. Drawing on a detailed survey of households' self-defence practices, this study rigorously analyses the heterogeneity and driving factors behind household-level self-defence strategies. Through exploratory latent class modelling, we identified four distinct defence patterns: inaction, water-sensitive, air-sensitive, and multifaceted. These patterns reveal varied defence capabilities among the population. By integrating frameworks from economics and social psychology, significant disparities were found in the driving factors behind these patterns. Practices aimed at combating air pollution are primarily driven by the actual severity of pollution and perceived coping capabilities, whereas measures to enhance water quality are influenced more by perceived threats. This disparity arises from variations in information availability and health awareness. The study also highlights a misalignment between the distribution of defence capabilities and the levels of pollution. Given that income restricts self-defence options, this mismatch indicates that economically disadvantaged groups are disproportionately affected by severe health inequalities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenyi Du
- School of Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Wenling Liu
- School of Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Centre for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Shen Y, Jiang L, Xie X, Meng X, Xu X, Dong J, Yang Y, Xu J, Zhang Y, Wang Q, Shen H, Zhang Y, Yan D, Zhou L, Jiang Y, Chen R, Kan H, Cai J, He Y, Ma X. Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Fasting Blood Glucose and Diabetes in 20 Million Chinese Women of Reproductive Age. Diabetes Care 2024; 47:1400-1407. [PMID: 38776453 DOI: 10.2337/dc23-2153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evidence of the associations between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and diabetes risk from women of reproductive age, in whom diabetes may have adverse long-term health effects for both themselves and future generations, remains scarce. We therefore examined the associations of long-term PM2.5 exposure with fasting blood glucose (FBG) level and diabetes risk in women of reproductive age in China. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study included 20,076,032 women age 20-49 years participating in the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project in China between 2010 and 2015. PM2.5 was estimated using a satellite-based model. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the associations of PM2.5 exposure with FBG level and diabetes risk, respectively. Diabetes burden attributable to PM2.5 was estimated using attributable fraction (AF) and attributable number. RESULTS PM2.5 showed monotonic relationships with elevated FBG level and diabetes risk. Each interquartile range (27 μg/m3) increase in 3-year average PM2.5 concentration was associated with a 0.078 mmol/L (95% CI 0.077, 0.079) increase in FBG and 18% (95% CI 16%, 19%) higher risk of diabetes. The AF attributed to PM2.5 exposure exceeding 5 μg/m3 was 29.0% (95% CI 27.5%, 30.5%), corresponding to an additional 78.6 thousand (95% CI 74.5, 82.6) diabetes cases. Subgroup analyses showed more pronounced diabetes risks in those who were overweight or obese, age >35 years, less educated, of minority ethnicity, registered as a rural household, and residing in western China. CONCLUSIONS We found long-term PM2.5 exposure was associated with higher diabetes risk in women of reproductive age in China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lifang Jiang
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Birth Defects Prevention, Henan Key Laboratory of Population Defects Prevention, Henan Institute of Reproduction Health Science and Technology, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxu Xie
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xia Meng
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianrong Xu
- School of Public Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jing Dong
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Yang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Jihong Xu
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ya Zhang
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| | - Qiaomei Wang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Haiping Shen
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yiping Zhang
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Donghai Yan
- Department of Maternal and Child Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yixuan Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Renjie Chen
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haidong Kan
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan He
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Ma
- National Research Institute for Family Planning, Beijing, China
- National Human Genetic Resources Center, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Grekousis G, Sunarta IN, Stratoulias D. Tracing vulnerable communities to ambient air pollution exposure: A geodemographic and remote sensing approach. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 258:119491. [PMID: 38925467 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Most studies analyzing the effects of air pollution on disadvantaged populations use ground air quality measurements. However, ground stations are generally limited, with nearly 40% of countries having no official PM2.5 stations, not allowing air quality analysis for a significantly large share of the world's population. Furthermore, limited studies analyze community data from a geodemographic perspective, in other words, to delineate the sociodemographic profiles and geographically locate the socioeconomic groups more exposed to ambient air pollution. Therefore, a significant question arises: How can we trace vulnerable communities to air pollution in areas lacking air-quality ground data? Here, we propose a novel methodology to respond to this question. We use NO2, SO2, CO, and HCHO tropospheric column air-quality data from Sentinel-5P, a satellite that quantifies concentrations of atmospheric species from space operationally. We integrate them with census and environmental data and apply the local fuzzy geographically weighted clustering spatial machine learning method for segmentation analysis. Our findings for Bali, Indonesia, provide quantitative evidence for the benefits of this methodology in tracing and delineating the profiles of the communities most exposed to air pollution. For example, results show that communities with highly disadvantaged populations, such as unemployed (over 27.8%), low educated (over 27.9%), and children (over 22.1%) (mainly located around Bali's south and north coast touristic areas), exhibit very high values (over the 75th quartile) across the pollutants studied. The proposed method is reproducible easily, quickly, and at low cost, as it is based on freely available satellite data and not on costly ground station measurements. This will hopefully assist decision-makers in tracing the most vulnerable subpopulations, even in areas with inadequate air-quality monitoring networks, thus allowing local governments around the globe (even those that are financially weak) to achieve environmental justice and their sustainable development goals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George Grekousis
- School of Geography and Planning, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-simulation, Sun Yat-sen University, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Public Security and Disaster, Guangzhou, China.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Shi S, Wang W, Li X, Xu C, Lei J, Jiang Y, Zhang L, He C, Xue T, Chen R, Kan H, Meng X. Evolution in disparity of PM 2.5 pollution in China. ECO-ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH (ONLINE) 2023; 2:257-263. [PMID: 38435353 PMCID: PMC10902506 DOI: 10.1016/j.eehl.2023.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
The spatial disparity of air pollutants is one of the key influential factors for environmental inequality. We quantitatively evaluated the evolution of PM2.5 spatial disparity in China during 2013-2020, and investigated the associations between PM2.5 spatial disparity and economic indicators. Differences in PM2.5 between more- and less-polluted cities declined over time, suggesting decreased absolute disparity. However, the more polluted cities in 2013 remained so in 2017 and 2020, and vice versa, indicating persistent relative disparity. PM2.5 pollution levels increased with higher GDP per capita in less-developed areas of China, but such negative effects weakened over time, while economic development tended to promote cleaner air in developed areas of China. Therefore, policies to improve air quality and promote economic development simultaneously are needed in China to reduce the disparity of air pollution and promote all people to enjoy environmental equality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Su Shi
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Weidong Wang
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xinyue Li
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chang Xu
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jian Lei
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yixuan Jiang
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lina Zhang
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Cheng He
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München–German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), Munich D-85764, Germany
| | - Tao Xue
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Renjie Chen
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Haidong Kan
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xia Meng
- School of Public Health, Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and Key Laboratory of Health Technology Assessment of the Ministry of Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- Shanghai Typhoon Institute/CMA, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Meteorology and Health, Shanghai 200030, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Guo B, Gao Q, Pei L, Guo T, Wang Y, Wu H, Zhang W, Chen M. Exploring the association of PM 2.5 with lung cancer incidence under different climate zones and socioeconomic conditions from 2006 to 2016 in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:126165-126177. [PMID: 38008841 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31138-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution generated by urbanization and industrialization poses a significant negative impact on public health. Particularly, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has become one of the leading causes of lung cancer mortality worldwide. The relationship between air pollutants and lung cancer has aroused global widespread concerns. Currently, the spatial agglomeration dynamic of lung cancer incidence (LCI) has been seldom discussed, and the spatial heterogeneity of lung cancer's influential factors has been ignored. Moreover, it is still unclear whether different socioeconomic levels and climate zones exhibit modification effects on the relationship between PM2.5 and LCI. In the present work, spatial autocorrelation was adopted to reveal the spatial aggregation dynamic of LCI, the emerging hot spot analysis was introduced to indicate the hot spot changes of LCI, and the geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model was used to determine the affecting factors of LCI and their spatial heterogeneity. Then, the modification effects of PM2.5 on the LCI under different socioeconomic levels and climatic zones were explored. Some findings were obtained. The LCI demonstrated a significant spatial autocorrelation, and the hot spots of LCI were mainly concentrated in eastern China. The affecting factors of LCI revealed an obvious spatial heterogeneity. PM2.5 concentration, nighttime light data, 2 m temperature, and 10 m u-component of wind represented significant positive effects on LCI, while education-related POI exhibited significant negative effects on LCI. The LCI in areas with low urbanization rates, low education levels, and extreme climate conditions was more easily affected by PM2.5 than in other areas. The results can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of lung cancer and related epidemics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Guo
- College of Geomatics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Qian Gao
- College of Geomatics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, China
| | - Lin Pei
- School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Xi'an Physical Education University, Xi'an, 710068, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tengyue Guo
- Department of Geological Engineering, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710119, Shaanxi, China
| | - Haojie Wu
- College of Geomatics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wencai Zhang
- College of Land Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Miaoyi Chen
- College of Geomatics, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710054, Shaanxi, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Roger Chen YH, Lee WC, Liu BC, Yang PC, Ho CC, Hwang JS, Huang TH, Lin HH, Lo WC. Quantifying the potential effects of air pollution reduction on population health and health expenditure in Taiwan. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 336:122405. [PMID: 37597736 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution, particularly ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution, poses a significant risk to public health, underscoring the importance of comprehending the long-term impact on health burden and expenditure at national and subnational levels. Therefore, this study aims to quantify the disease burden and healthcare expenditure associated with PM2.5 exposure in Taiwan and assess the potential benefits of reducing pollution levels. Using a comparative risk assessment framework that integrates an auto-aggressive integrated moving average model, we evaluated the avoidable burden of cardiopulmonary diseases (including ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and diabetes mellitus) and related healthcare expenditure under different air quality target scenarios, including status quo and target scenarios of 15, 10, and 5 μg/m3 reduction in PM2.5 concentration. Our findings indicate that reducing PM2.5 exposure has the potential to significantly alleviate the burden of multiple diseases. Comparing the estimated attributable disease burden and healthcare expenditure between reference and target scenarios from 2022 to 2050, the avoidable disability-adjusted life years were 0.61, 1.83, and 3.19 million for the 15, 10, and 5 μg/m3 target scenarios, respectively. Correspondingly, avoidable healthcare expenditure ranged from US$ 0.63 to 3.67 billion. We also highlighted the unequal allocation of resources and the need for policy interventions to address health disparities due to air pollution. Notably, in the 5 μg/m3 target scenario, Kaohsiung City stands to benefit the most, with 527,368 disability-adjusted life years avoided and US$ 0.53 billion saved from 2022 to 2050. Our findings suggest that adopting stricter emission targets can effectively reduce the health burden and associated healthcare expenditure in Taiwan. Overall, this study provides policymakers in Taiwan with valuable insights for mitigating the negative effects of air pollution by establishing a comprehensive framework for evaluating the co-benefits of air pollution reduction on healthcare expenditure and disease burden.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hsuan Roger Chen
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Chen Lee
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bo-Chen Liu
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Chieh Yang
- Department of Industrial Economics, Tamkang University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Chang Ho
- Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Tzu-Hsuan Huang
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; AbbVie Inc. North Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Hsien-Ho Lin
- Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Global Health Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Cheng Lo
- Master Program in Applied Epidemiology, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Taipei Medical University Research Center of Urology and Kidney, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
O'Regan AC, Nyhan MM. Towards sustainable and net-zero cities: A review of environmental modelling and monitoring tools for optimizing emissions reduction strategies for improved air quality in urban areas. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 231:116242. [PMID: 37244499 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is a defining challenge for today's society and its consequences pose a great threat to humanity. Cities are major contributors to climate change, accounting for over 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. With urbanization occurring at a rapid rate worldwide, cities will play a key role in mitigating emissions and addressing climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions are strongly interlinked with air quality as they share emission sources. Consequently, there is a great opportunity to develop policies which maximize the co-benefits of emissions reductions on air quality and health. As such, a narrative meta-review is conducted to highlight state-of-the-art monitoring and modelling tools which can inform and monitor progress towards greenhouse gas emission and air pollution reduction targets. Urban greenspace will play an important role in the transition to net-zero as it promotes sustainable and active transport modes. Therefore, we explore advancements in urban greenspace quantification methods which can aid strategic developments. There is great potential to harness technological advancements to better understand the impact of greenhouse gas reduction strategies on air quality and subsequently inform the optimal design of these strategies going forward. An integrated approach to greenhouse gas emission and air pollution reduction will create sustainable, net-zero and healthy future cities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna C O'Regan
- Discipline of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; MaREI, The SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine, University College Cork, Ringaskiddy, Cork, P43 C573, Ireland; Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Lee Rd, Sunday's Well, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland
| | - Marguerite M Nyhan
- Discipline of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering & Architecture, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; MaREI, The SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate & Marine, University College Cork, Ringaskiddy, Cork, P43 C573, Ireland; Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Lee Rd, Sunday's Well, Cork, T23 XE10, Ireland.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Moshfeghi V, Alizadeh H, Yousefian S. Identifying drivers affecting air quality in metropolitan areas of developing countries: evidence from Tehran metropolitan area. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:83485-83494. [PMID: 37341937 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28274-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental issues and the significant reduction of air quality in the metropolitan areas of developing countries have become chronic challenges. While the impacts of many reasons such as the rapid trend of urbanization, lacking sustainable thinking in urban planning approaches, and urban sprawl have been explored in previous literature, the role of political economy, especially the structure based on the rentier economy, in the change of air quality as an environmental challenge in the metropolitan areas of developing countries has received little attention. To fill this gap, this study focuses on the role of the rentier economy and identifies the drivers based on it that have a tremendous impact on the air quality in Tehran metropolitan area, Iran. To this end, using the Grounded Theory (GT) foundation database and two-round Delphi survey, the opinions of 19 experts were used to identify and explain major drivers that impact air quality in Tehran. Our findings revealed that nine major drivers have an increasing impact on the air quality in the metropolitan area of Tehran. These drivers considering the dominance of the rentier economy are interpreted as the lack of powerful local governance, the rental economy, centralized structure of government, unsustainable economic development, institutional conflicts, a faulty planning system, financial unsustainability of municipalities, unfair distribution of power, and inefficient urban development policies. Among the drivers, the impacts of institutional conflicts and lack of powerful local governance on air quality are more considerable. This study highlights the role of the rentier economy as a major obstacle to resilient responses and constructive actions against chronic environmental challenges such as drastic changes in air quality in metropolitan areas of developing countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Moshfeghi
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Hadi Alizadeh
- Office of Housing Planning and Economics, Iran Ministry of Road and Urban Development, Argentina Square, Africa Blvd., Abbas Abad Lands, Shahid Dadman Building, Tehran, 1519713111, Iran.
- Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
| | - Samira Yousefian
- Department of Art and Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Knobel P, Hwang I, Castro E, Sheffield P, Holaday L, Shi L, Amini H, Schwartz J, Sade MY. Socioeconomic and racial disparities in source-apportioned PM 2.5 levels across urban areas in the contiguous US, 2010. ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT (OXFORD, ENGLAND : 1994) 2023; 303:119753. [PMID: 37215166 PMCID: PMC10194033 DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.119753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution exposure is associated with short and long-term health effects. Several studies found differences in PM2.5 exposure associated with neighborhood racial and socioeconomic composition. However, most focused on total PM2.5 mass rather than its chemical components and their sources. In this study, we describe the ZIP code characteristics that drive the disparities in exposure to PM2.5 chemical components attributed to source categories both nationally and regionally. We obtained annual mean predictions of PM2.5 and fourteen of its chemical components from spatiotemporal models and socioeconomic and racial predictor variables from the 2010 US Census, and the American Community Survey 5-year estimates. We used non-negative matrix factorization to attribute the chemical components to five source categories. We fit generalized nonlinear models to assess the associations between the neighborhood predictors and each PM2.5 source category in urban areas in the United States in 2010 (n=25,790 zip codes). We observed higher PM2.5 levels in ZIP codes with higher proportions of Black individuals and lower socioeconomic status. Racial exposure disparities were mainly attributed to Heavy Fuel, Oil and Industrial, Metal Processing Industry and Agricultural, and Motor Vehicle sources. Economic disparities were mainly attributed to Soil and Crustal Dust, Heavy Fuel Oil and Industrial, Metal Processing Industry and Agricultural, and Motor Vehicle sources. Upon further analysis through stratifying by regions within the United States, we found that the associations between ZIP code characteristics and source-attributed PM2.5 levels were generally greater in Western states. In conclusion, racial, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities in exposure to PM2.5 and its components are driven by systematic differences in component sources that can inform air quality improvement strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Knobel
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Inhye Hwang
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edgar Castro
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Perry Sheffield
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Louisa Holaday
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Liuhua Shi
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Heresh Amini
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maayan Yitshak Sade
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Amegbor PM, Addae A. Spatiotemporal analysis of the effect of global development indicators on child mortality. Int J Health Geogr 2023; 22:9. [PMID: 37143085 PMCID: PMC10157969 DOI: 10.1186/s12942-023-00330-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Child mortality continue to be a major public health issue in most developing countries; albeit there has been a decline in global under-five deaths. The differences in child mortality can best be explained by socioeconomic and environmental inequalities among countries. In this study, we explore the effect of country-level development indicators on under-five mortality rates. Specifically, we examine potential spatio-temporal heterogeneity in the association between major world development indicators on under-five mortality, as well as, visualize the global differential time trend of under-five mortality rates. METHODS The data from 195 countries were curated from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (WDI) spanning from 2000 to 2017 and national estimates for under-five mortality from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).We built parametric and non-parametric Bayesian space-time interaction models to examine the effect of development indicators on under-five mortality rates. We also used employed Bayesian spatio-temporal varying coefficient models to assess the spatial and temporal variations in the effect of development indicators on under-five mortality rates. RESULTS In both parametric and non-parametric models, the results show indicators of good socioeconomic development were associated with a reduction in under-five mortality rates while poor indicators were associated with an increase in under-five mortality rates. For instance, the parametric model shows that gross domestic product (GDP) (β = - 1.26, [CI - 1.51; - 1.01]), current healthcare expenditure (β = - 0.40, [CI - 0.55; - 0.26]) and access to basic sanitation (β = - 0.03, [CI - 0.05; - 0.01]) were associated with a reduction under-five mortality. An increase in the proportion practising open defecation (β = 0.14, [CI 0.08; 0.20]) an increase under-five mortality rate. The result of the spatial components spatial variation in the effect of the development indicators on under-five mortality rates. The spatial patterns of the effect also change over time for some indicators, such as PM2.5. CONCLUSION The findings show that the burden of under-five mortality rates was considerably higher among sub-Saharan African countries and some southern Asian countries. The findings also reveal the trend in reduction in the sub-Saharan African region has been slower than the global trend.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Prince M Amegbor
- Global and Environmental Public Health, School of Global Public Health, New York University, 708 Broadway, New York, NY, 10003, USA.
| | - Angelina Addae
- Department of Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 129, 72 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B5, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Huang J, Li X, Zhang Y, Zhai S, Wang W, Zhang T, Yin F, Ma Y. Socio-demographic characteristics and inequality in exposure to PM 2.5: A case study in the Sichuan basin, China. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 316:120630. [PMID: 36375581 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Chengyu Metropolitan Area (CYMA), located in the Sichuan Basin, is an unevenly developed region with high PM2.5 concentrations and a population of approximately 100 million. Although exposure inequality in air pollution has received increasing concern, no related research has been carried out in the CYMA to date. In this work, we used the concentration index to assess inequality of PM2.5 population-weighted exposure in the CYMA among different subgroups, including age, education, gender, occupation and GDP per capita in the city of residence. Our findings revealed that the non-disadvantaged subgroups (people aged 15-64, people with senior and higher education, people with high-income occupations and residents of cities with high GDP per capita) had a higher PM2.5 exposure in the CYMA, with the concentration indices of -0.03 (95% CI: 0.064, -0.001), -0.14 (95% CI: 0.221, -0.059), -0.15 (95% CI: 0.238, -0.056) and -0.27 (95% CI: 0.556, 0.012), opposite to previous studies in developed countries such as the United States and France. In addition, exposure differences among cities were much larger than those among populations in the CYMA. These findings may benefit the government in identifying disproportionately exposed subgroups in developing regions, and suggest that related measures should initially be carried out for cities exposed to high PM2.5 concentrations rather than for populations exposed to high PM2.5 concentrations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jingfei Huang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xuelin Li
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Siwei Zhai
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Wang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Systems Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, China
| | - Fei Yin
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yue Ma
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China; Institute of Systems Epidemiology, West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Luo Z, Shen G, Men Y, Zhang W, Meng W, Zhu W, Meng J, Liu X, Cheng Q, Jiang K, Yun X, Cheng H, Xue T, Shen H, Tao S. Reduced inequality in ambient and household PM 2.5 exposure in China. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 170:107599. [PMID: 36323065 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The society has high concerns on the inequality that people are disproportionately exposed to ambient air pollution, but with more time spent indoors, the disparity in the total exposure considering both indoor and outdoor exposure has not been explored; and with the socioeconomical development and efforts in fighting against air pollution, it is unknown how the exposure inequality changed over time. Based on the city-level panel data, this study revealed the Concentration Index (C) in ambient PM2.5 exposure inequality was positive, indicating the low-income group exposed to lower ambient PM2.5; however, the total PM2.5 exposure was negatively correlated with the income, showing a negative C value. The low-income population exposed to high PM2.5 associated with larger contributions of indoor exposure from the residential emissions. The total PM2.5 exposure caused 1.13 (0.63-1.73) million premature deaths in 2019, with only 14 % were high-income population. The toughest-ever air pollution countermeasures have reduced ambient PM2.5 exposures effectively that, however, benefited the rich population more than the others. The transition to clean household energy sources significantly affected on indoor air quality improvements, as well as alleviation of ambient air pollution, resulting in notable reductions of the total PM2.5 exposure and especially benefiting the low-income groups. The negative C values decreased from 2000 to 2019, indicating a significantly reducing trend in the total PM2.5 exposure inequality over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhihan Luo
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Guofeng Shen
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Yatai Men
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenxiao Zhang
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenjun Meng
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenyuan Zhu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jing Meng
- The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom
| | - Xinlei Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qin Cheng
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ke Jiang
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiao Yun
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hefa Cheng
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tao Xue
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huizhong Shen
- College of Environmental Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shu Tao
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Science and Technology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Medrano J, Crnosija N, Prather RW, Payne-Sturges D. Bridging the environment and neurodevelopment for children's health: Associations between real-time air pollutant exposures and cognitive outcomes. Front Psychol 2022; 13:933327. [PMID: 36329746 PMCID: PMC9623017 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.933327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Research suggests that children's exposure to pollutants may impact their neurocognitive development. While researchers have found associations between air pollutants and cognitive development, these associations remain underspecified. Further, these exposures occur in the context of the built environment and may be exacerbated by local social vulnerability; in this context, individuals may experience a suite of socioenvironmental stressors that lead to increased cumulative risk exposure. In this pilot study, we tested whether real-time-measured personal exposure to PM2.5 relates to children's executive function and mathematical skills, outcomes that may predict later mathematical performance, general academic performance and even employment outcomes. We recruited 30 families to participate in two rounds in Winter 2020 and Summer 2021. We collected children's demographic data, as well as data about their living environment. In each round, children carried a small device that collected real-time ambient air pollution data for 3 days; parents logged their children's activities each day. On the last day, children completed cognitive assessments indexing their working memory (n-back), inhibitory control (Go/No-Go), nonsymbolic math skills (dot comparison), and arithmetic skills (equation verification). Overall, 29 participants had pollutant readings from both rounds, and 21 had a full dataset. Nonparametric statistical analysis revealed no significant differences in ambient air pollution and cognitive performance over time, Spearman's rho correlation assessment found that PM2.5 was not significantly correlated with cognitive outcomes in R1 and R2. However, the correlations suggested that an increase in PM2.5 was associated with worse working memory, inhibitory control, nonsymbolic skills, and arithmetic skills, at least in R1. We used each participant's zip code-aggregated Social Vulnerability Index, which range from 0 to 1, with higher numbers indicating more social vulnerability. Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests indicated that participants living in higher SVI zip codes (≥0.70; n = 15) were not significantly different from those living in lower SVI zip codes (<0.70; n = 14), in terms of their PM2.5 exposures and cognitive performance in each round. We also found that socioeconomic characteristics mattered, such that children whose parent (s) had at least a Master's degree or earned more than $100,000 a year had lower PM2.5 exposures than children in the other end.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josh Medrano
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Natalie Crnosija
- Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Richard W Prather
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Devon Payne-Sturges
- Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Wang W, Zhao C, Dong C, Yu H, Wang Y, Yang X. Is the key-treatment-in-key-areas approach in air pollution control policy effective? Evidence from the action plan for air pollution prevention and control in China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 843:156850. [PMID: 35738375 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The "Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control from 2013 to 2017" (APAPPC) establishes the key treatment for key areas in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and its surroundings (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China. Is the key-treatment-in-key-areas approach effective? Except the targeted pollutants, does there exist the synergistic effects of other air pollutants? Are there differences between the north and the south about the effectiveness of this approach? To answer these new and key questions, this study uses the difference-in-difference (DID) model to evaluate whether it is more effective to implement key treatment policies for two targeted pollutants, PM2.5 and PMcoarse (PM2.5-PM10), and verifies the synergistic emission-reduction effects of the policies on eight other emissions: SO2, NOX, VOC, CO, NH3, BC, OC, and CO2. At the same time, the policy effects are evaluated nationwide, in the north, and in the south using data from 2008 to 2017. The results show the following: (1) The APAPPC's establishment of the key treatment in key areas significantly reduces PM2.5 and PMcoarse by 7.25 % and 10.49 %, respectively, compared with non-key areas nationwide. (2) The key-treatment-in-key-areas policy has synergistic effects on six other emissions: SO2, NOX, CO, BC, OC, and CO2. (3) If viewing the north and the south separately, BTH beats other counterparts in the north by a large margin, while there is no significant difference among provinces and/or areas in the south. This margin is much larger than the one between key areas and other provinces nationwide. Therefore, this paper suggests that key treatment policies in key areas should continue to be implemented, especially for cities that have not dropped, but rather increased, their PM2.5 concentrations. Additionally, air pollution goals should incorporate China's carbon peaking and neutrality goals to reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenhuan Wang
- Fudan Tyndall Center, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China; School of Public Administration of Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
| | - Congyu Zhao
- School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Cong Dong
- School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Huajun Yu
- Fudan Tyndall Center, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Yutao Wang
- Fudan Tyndall Center, Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
| | - Xiaoguang Yang
- Academy of Mathematics and Systems Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Sorensen C, Lehmann E, Holder C, Hu J, Krishnan A, Münzel T, Mb R, Rn S. Reducing the health impacts of ambient air pollution. BMJ 2022; 379:e069487. [PMID: 36223913 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2021-069487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C Sorensen
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - E Lehmann
- Harvard Global Health Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - C Holder
- Department of Humanities, Health and Society, Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA
| | - J Hu
- Department of Cardiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Zhangjiang Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - A Krishnan
- Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - T Münzel
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Rice Mb
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Salas Rn
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Global Health Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhou S, Griffin RJ, Bui A, Lilienfeld Asbun A, Bravo MA, Osgood C, Miranda ML. Disparities in air quality downscaler model uncertainty across socioeconomic and demographic indicators in North Carolina. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113418. [PMID: 35523273 PMCID: PMC11007592 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Studies increasingly use output from the Environmental Protection Agency's Fused Air Quality Surface Downscaler ("downscaler") model, which provides spatial predictions of daily concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) at the census tract level, to study the health and societal impacts of exposure to air pollution. Downscaler outputs have been used to show that lower income and higher minority neighborhoods are exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 and lower levels of O3. However, the uncertainty of the downscaler estimates remains poorly characterized, and it is not known if all subpopulations are benefiting equally from reliable predictions. We examined how the percent errors (PEs) of daily concentrations of PM2.5 and O3 between 2002 and 2016 at the 2010 census tract centroids across North Carolina were associated with measures of racial and educational isolation, neighborhood disadvantage, and urbanicity. Results suggest that there were socioeconomic and demographic disparities in surface concentrations of PM2.5 and O3, as well as their prediction uncertainties. Neighborhoods characterized by less reliable downscaler predictions (i.e., higher PEPM2.5 and PEO3) exhibited greater levels of aerial deprivation as well as educational isolation, and were often non-urban areas (i.e., suburban, or rural). Between 2002 and 2016, predicted PM2.5 and O3 levels decreased and O3 predictions became more reliable. However, the predictive uncertainty for PM2.5 has increased since 2010. Substantial spatial variability was observed in the temporal changes in the predictive uncertainties; educational isolation and neighborhood deprivation levels were associated with smaller increases in predictive uncertainty of PM2.5. In contrast, racial isolation was associated with a greater decline in the reliability of PM2.5 predictions between 2002 and 2016; it was associated with a greater improvement in the predictive reliability of O3 within the same time frame.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zhou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Robert J Griffin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; School of Engineering, Computing and Construction Management, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI, USA
| | - Alexander Bui
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Aaron Lilienfeld Asbun
- Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - Mercedes A Bravo
- Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA; Global Health Institute, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Claire Osgood
- Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - Marie Lynn Miranda
- Children's Environmental Health Initiative, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA; Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
A Social Vulnerability Index for Air Pollution and Its Spatially Varying Relationship to PM2.5 in Uganda. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13081169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a ubiquitous air pollutant that is harmful to human health. Social vulnerability indices (SVIs) are calculated to determine where vulnerable populations are located. We developed an SVI for Uganda to identify areas with high vulnerability and exposure to air pollution. The 2014 national census was used to create the SVI. Mean PM2.5 at the subcounty level was estimated using global PM2.5 estimates. The mean PM2.5 for Kampala at the parish level was estimated using low-cost PM2.5 sensors and spatial interpolation. A local indicator of spatial association (LISA) was performed to determine significant spatial clusters of social vulnerability, and a bivariate analysis was performed to identify where significant associations were between SVI and annual PM2.5 mean concentrations. The LISA results showed significant clustering of high SVI in the northern and western regions of the country. The spatial bivariate analysis showed positive linear associations between SVI and PM2.5 concentration in subcounties in the northern, western, and central regions of Uganda, as well as in certain northern parishes in Kampala. Our approach identified areas facing both high social vulnerability and air pollution levels. These areas can be prioritized for health interventions and policy to reduce the impact of ambient PM2.5.
Collapse
|
20
|
Zhang J, Fan X, Li Y, Ma S. Heterogeneous graphical model for non‐negative and non‐Gaussian PM2.5 data. J R Stat Soc Ser C Appl Stat 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rssc.12575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Zhang
- Center for Applied Statistics and School of StatisticsRenmin University of China BeijingChina
| | - Xinyan Fan
- Center for Applied Statistics and School of StatisticsRenmin University of China BeijingChina
| | - Yang Li
- Center for Applied Statistics and School of StatisticsRenmin University of China BeijingChina
- RSS and China‐Re Life Joint Lab on Public Health and Risk ManagementRenmin University of China BeijingChina
| | - Shuangge Ma
- Department of BiostatisticsYale University New HavenUSA
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Wang Y, Wang Y, Xu H, Zhao Y, Marshall JD. Ambient Air Pollution and Socioeconomic Status in China. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:67001. [PMID: 35674427 PMCID: PMC9175641 DOI: 10.1289/ehp9872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution disparities by socioeconomic status (SES) are well documented for the United States, with most literature indicating an inverse relationship (i.e., higher concentrations for lower-SES populations). Few studies exist for China, a country accounting for 26% of global premature deaths from ambient air pollution. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to test the relationship between ambient air pollution exposures and SES in China. METHODS We combined estimated year 2015 annual-average ambient levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and fine particulate matter [PM ≤ 2.5 μ m in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5 )] with national demographic information. Pollution estimates were derived from a national empirical model for China at 1 -km spatial resolution; demographic estimates were derived from national gridded gross national product (GDP) per capita at 1 -km resolution, and (separately) a national representative sample of 21,095 individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2015 cohort. Our use of global data on population density and cohort data on where people live helped avoid the spatial imprecision found in publicly available census data for China. We quantified air pollution disparities among individual's rural-to-urban migration status; SES factors (education, occupation, and income); and minority status. We compared results using three approaches to SES measurement: individual SES score, community-averaged SES score, and gridded GDP per capita. RESULTS Ambient NO 2 and PM 2.5 levels were higher for higher-SES populations than for lower-SES population, higher for long-standing urban residents than for rural-to-urban migrant populations, and higher for the majority ethnic group (Han) than for the average across nine minority groups. For the three SES measurements (individual SES score, community-averaged SES score, gridded GDP per capita), a 1-interquartile range higher SES corresponded to higher concentrations of 6 - 9 μ g / m 3 NO 2 and 3 - 6 μ g / m 3 PM 2.5 ; average concentrations for the highest and lowest 20th percentile of SES differed by 41-89% for NO 2 and 12-25% for PM 2.5 . This pattern held in rural and urban locations, across geographic regions, across a wide range of spatial resolution, and for modeled vs. measured pollution concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Multiple analyses here reveal that in China, ambient NO 2 and PM 2.5 concentrations are higher for high-SES than for low-SES individuals; these results are robust to multiple sensitivity analyses. Our findings are consistent with the idea that in China's current industrialization and urbanization stage, economic development is correlated with both SES and air pollution. To our knowledge, our study provides the most comprehensive picture to date of ambient air pollution disparities in China; the results differ dramatically from results and from theories to explain conditions in the United States. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9872.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuzhou Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Yafeng Wang
- Institute of Social Survey Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yaohui Zhao
- National School of Development, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Julian D. Marshall
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Assessing personal travel exposure to on-road PM 2.5 using cellphone positioning data and mobile sensors. Health Place 2022; 75:102803. [PMID: 35443227 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
PM2.5 pollution imposes substantial health risks on urban residents. Previous studies mainly focused on assessing peoples' exposures at static locations, such as homes or workplaces. There has been a scarcity of research that quantifies the dynamic PM2.5 exposures of people when they travel in cities. To address this gap, we use cellphone positioning data and PM2.5 concentration data collected from smart sensors along roads in Guangzhou, China, to assess personal travel exposure to on-road PM2.5. First, we extract the trips of cellphone users from their trajectories and use the shortest path algorithm to calculate their travel routes on the road network. Second, the travel exposure of each user is estimated by associating their movement patterns with PM2.5 concentrations on roads. The result shows that most users' average travel exposures per hour fall within the range of 20 ug/m3 to 75 ug/m3. Travel exposure varies across users, and 54.0% of users experience low travel exposure throughout the day, 25.5% of users experience high travel exposure in the evening, and 20.5% of users experience high travel exposure in the afternoon. Furthermore, the impacts of on-road PM2.5 on urban populations are uneven across roads. More attention should be given to roads with high PM2.5 concentrations and traffic flows in each period, such as Huan Shi Middle Road in the morning, Inner Ring Road in the afternoon, and Xinjiao Middle Road in the evening. The findings in this study can contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between air pollution and the travel activities of urban populations.
Collapse
|
23
|
Guo H, Li W, Wu J, Ho HC. Does air pollution contribute to urban-rural disparity in male lung cancer diseases in China? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:23905-23918. [PMID: 34817820 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17406-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
It remains unknown whether exposure to ambient air pollution can be a mediator linking socioeconomic indicator to health outcome. The present study aims to examine the mediation effect of PM2.5 air pollution on the association between urban-rural division and the incidence (mortality) rate of male lung cancer. We performed a nationwide analysis in 353 counties (districts) of China between 2006 and 2015. A structural equation model was developed to determine the mediation effect of exposure to PM2.5. We also tested whether the findings of the mediation effect of exposure to PM2.5 are sensitive to the controls of smoking factors and additional air pollutant, and PM2.5 exposures with different lag structures. According to the results, we found that exposure to PM2.5 significantly mediated the association between urban-rural division and the incidence rate of male lung cancer. Specifically, there were significant associations between urban-rural division, exposure to PM2.5, and the incidence rate of male lung cancer, with PM2.5 exposure accounting for 29.80% of total urban-rural difference in incidence rates of male lung cancer. A similar pattern of results was observed for the mortality rate of male lung cancer. That is, there was a significant mediation effect by PM2.5 on the association of the mortality rate with urban-rural division. The findings of exposure to PM2.5 as a mediator were robust in the three sensitivity analyses. In conclusion, urban-rural difference in exposures to PM2.5 may be a potential factor that contributes to urban-rural disparity in male lung cancer diseases in China. The findings inform that air pollution management and control may be effective measures to alleviate the great difference in male lung cancer diseases between urban and rural areas in China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huagui Guo
- School of Architecture and Urban-Rural Planning, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China
| | - Weifeng Li
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, China
| | - Jiansheng Wu
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, 518055, China
- Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Hung Chak Ho
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Rodriguez-Alvarez A. Air pollution and life expectancy in Europe: Does investment in renewable energy matter? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 792:148480. [PMID: 34153769 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between health and air pollution using a novel approach that allows differentiation between potential and observed health. It also permits an analysis of those factors that may contribute towards reducing any differences between the latter concepts. To this end, a panel data from 29 European countries for the periods 2005 and 2018 is used. Results indicate that the main pollutants affecting European countries, namely NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 have a negative impact on life expectancy at birth, while investment in renewable energies has a positive effect. Several conclusions can be drawn from these results. Firstly, if the aim is to minimize the detrimental effects of the global production of goods and services on air quality, a greater investment in renewable energies as compared to other more polluting ones, is called for. In turn, this would contribute to an improvement in the general health of citizens and the planet thereby increasing overall potential life expectancy. Secondly, NOx gases seem to be the ones that most affect the population's mean potential life expectancy. Results indicate that with regard to particulate matters, those with a diameter of less than 2.5 μm, are the ones that have the greatest impact on the health of European citizens, more so than larger particles (with a diameter between 10 and 2.5 μm).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rodriguez-Alvarez
- University of Oviedo, Department of Economics, Campus del Cristo s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Liu M, Saari RK, Zhou G, Li J, Han L, Liu X. Recent trends in premature mortality and health disparities attributable to ambient PM 2.5 exposure in China: 2005-2017. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 279:116882. [PMID: 33756244 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the past decade, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) has reached unprecedented levels in China and posed a significant threat to public health. Exploring the long-term trajectory of the PM2.5 attributable health burden and corresponding disparities across populations in China yields insights for policymakers regarding the effectiveness of efforts to reduce air pollution exposure. Therefore, we examine how the magnitude and equity of the PM2.5-related public health burden has changed nationally, and between provinces, as economic growth and pollution levels varied during 2005-2017. We derive long-term PM2.5 exposures in China from satellite-based observations and chemical transport models, and estimate attributable premature mortality using the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM). We characterize national and interprovincial inequality in health outcomes using environmental Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients over the study period. PM2.5 exposure is linked to 1.8 (95% CI: 1.6, 2.0) million premature deaths over China in 2017, increasing by 31% from 2005. Approximately 70% of PM2.5 attributable deaths were caused by stroke and IHD (ischemic heart disease), though COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and LRI (lower respiratory infection) disproportionately affected poorer provinces. While most economic gains and PM2.5-related deaths were concentrated in a few provinces, both gains and deaths became more equitably distributed across provinces over time. As a nation, however, trends toward equality were more recent and less clear cut across causes of death. The rise in premature mortality is due primarily to population growth and baseline risks of stroke and IHD. This rising health burden could be alleviated through policies to prevent pollution, exposure, and disease. More targeted programs may be warranted for poorer provinces with a disproportionate share of PM2.5-related premature deaths due to COPD and LRI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Liu
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; School of Land Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710064, China.
| | - Rebecca K Saari
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Gaoxiang Zhou
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; School of Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Jonathan Li
- Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; Fujian Key Laboratory of Sensing and Computing for Smart Cities, School of Informatics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, FJ, 361005, China
| | - Ling Han
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation, School of Land Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710064, China
| | - Xiangnan Liu
- School of Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Ingram C, Min E, Seto E, Cummings BJ, Farquhar S. Cumulative Impacts and COVID-19: Implications for Low-Income, Minoritized, and Health-Compromised Communities in King County, WA. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2021; 9:1210-1224. [PMID: 34128216 PMCID: PMC8202963 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-021-01063-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Few studies have assessed how the intersection of social determinants of health and environmental hazards contributes to racial disparities in COVID-19. The aim of our study was to compare COVID-19 disparities in testing and positivity to cumulative environmental health impacts, and to assess how unique social and environmental determinants of health relate to COVID-19 positivity in Seattle, King County, WA, at the census tract level. Publicly available data (n = 397 census tracts) were obtained from Public Health–Seattle & King County, 2018 ACS 5-year estimates, and the Washington Tracking Network. COVID-19 testing and positive case rates as of July 12, 2020, were mapped and compared to Washington State Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) Map cumulative impact rankings. We calculated odds ratios from a series of univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses using cumulative impact rankings, and community-level socioeconomic, health, and environmental factors as predictors and having ≥ 10% or < 10% census tract positivity as the binary outcome variable. We found a remarkable overlap between Washington EHD cumulative impact rankings and COVID-19 positivity in King County. Census tracts with ≥ 10 % COVID-19 positivity had significantly lower COVID-19 testing rates and higher proportions of people of color and faced a combination of low socioeconomic status–related outcomes, poor community health outcomes, and significantly higher concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). King County communities experiencing high rates of COVID-19 face a disproportionate cumulative burden of environmental and social inequities. Cumulative environmental health impacts should therefore systematically be considered when assessing for risk of exposure to and health complications resulting from COVID-19.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn Ingram
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. .,ISPED (Bordeaux School of Public Health) , University of Bordeaux , Bordeaux, France.
| | - Esther Min
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Edmund Seto
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - B J Cummings
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephanie Farquhar
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Impacts of Industrial Restructuring and Technological Progress on PM 2.5 Pollution: Evidence from Prefecture-Level Cities in China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18105283. [PMID: 34065663 PMCID: PMC8156493 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PM2.5 pollution has produced adverse effects all over the world, especially in fast-developing China. PM2.5 pollution in China is widespread and serious, which has aroused widespread concern of the government, the public and scholars. This paper evaluates the evolution trend and spatial pattern of PM2.5 pollution in China based on the data of 281 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2017, and reveals the pollution situation of PM2.5 and its relationship with industrial restructuring and technological progress by using spatial dynamic panel model. The results show that China's PM2.5 pollution has significant path dependence and spatial correlation, and the industrial restructuring and technological progress have significant positive effects on alleviating PM2.5 pollution. As a decomposition item of technological progress, technical change effectively alleviates PM2.5 pollution. Another important discovery is that the interaction between industrial restructuring and technological progress will aggravate PM2.5 pollution. Finally, in order to effectively improve China's air quality, while advocating the Chinese government to pursue high-quality development, this paper puts forward a regional joint prevention mechanism.
Collapse
|
28
|
Jorgenson AK, Thombs RP, Clark B, Givens JE, Hill TD, Huang X, Kelly OM, Fitzgerald JB. Inequality amplifies the negative association between life expectancy and air pollution: A cross-national longitudinal study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143705. [PMID: 33223160 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ambient air pollution, in the form of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), poses serious population health risks. We estimate cross-national longitudinal models to test whether the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality. The dependent variable is average life expectancy at birth, and the focal predictor variables include PM2.5 concentration, income inequality, and the two-way interaction between them. We also estimate the average marginal effects of PM2.5 concentration from low to high values of income inequality, and the predicted values of life expectancy from low to high values of PM2.5 concentration and income inequality. Results indicate that the negative relationship between life expectancy and PM2.5 concentration is larger in nations with higher levels of income inequality, and the reductions in predicted life expectancy are substantial when both PM2.5 concentration and income inequality are high. We suggest that the theoretical principles of Power, Proximity, and Physiology help explain our findings. This study underscores the importance in considering the multiplicative impacts of environmental conditions and socioeconomic factors in the modeling of population health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew K Jorgenson
- Boston College, Department of Sociology and Environmental Studies Program, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Ryan P Thombs
- Boston College, Department of Sociology, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Brett Clark
- University of Utah, Department of Sociology, 380 S 1530 E RM 301, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
| | - Jennifer E Givens
- Utah State University, Department of Sociology, 0730 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-0730, United States.
| | - Terrence D Hill
- University of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Sociology, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249-1644, United States.
| | - Xiaorui Huang
- Boston College, Department of Sociology, McGuinn Hall 426, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, United States.
| | - Orla M Kelly
- University College Dublin, School of Social Policy, Social Work & Social Justice, Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington Building, Belfield, Dublin D04 N9Y1, Ireland.
| | - Jared B Fitzgerald
- Oklahoma State University, Department of Sociology, 431 Social Sciences & Humanities, Stillwater, OK 74078-4062, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Allen RW, Barn P. Individual- and Household-Level Interventions to Reduce Air Pollution Exposures and Health Risks: a Review of the Recent Literature. Curr Environ Health Rep 2020; 7:424-440. [PMID: 33241434 PMCID: PMC7749091 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-020-00296-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We reviewed recent peer-reviewed literature on three categories of individual- and household-level interventions against air pollution: air purifiers, facemasks, and behavior change. RECENT FINDINGS High-efficiency particulate air/arresting (HEPA) filter air purifier use over days to weeks can substantially reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations indoors and improve subclinical cardiopulmonary health. Modeling studies suggest that the population-level benefits of HEPA filter air purification would often exceed costs. Well-fitting N95 and equivalent respirators can reduce PM2.5 exposure, with several randomized crossover studies also reporting improvements in subclinical cardiovascular health. The health benefits of other types of face coverings have not been tested and their effectiveness in reducing exposure is highly variable, depends largely on fit, and is unrelated to cost. Behavior modifications may reduce exposure, but there has been little research on health impacts. There is now substantial evidence that HEPA filter air purifiers reduce indoor PM2.5 concentrations and improve subclinical health indicators. As a result, their use is being recommended by a growing number of government and public health organizations. Several studies have also reported subclinical cardiovascular health benefits from well-fitting respirators, while evidence of health benefits from other types of facemasks and behavior changes remains very limited. In situations when emissions cannot be controlled at the source, such as during forest fires, individual- or household-level interventions may be the primary option. In most cases, however, such interventions should be supplemental to emission reduction efforts that benefit entire communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryan W Allen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
| | - Prabjit Barn
- Legacy for Airway Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Abstract
Air pollution is a grave risk to human health that affects nearly everyone in the world and nearly every organ in the body. Fortunately, it is largely a preventable risk. Reducing pollution at its source can have a rapid and substantial impact on health. Within a few weeks, respiratory and irritation symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, phlegm, and sore throat, disappear; school absenteeism, clinic visits, hospitalizations, premature births, cardiovascular illness and death, and all-cause mortality decrease significantly. The interventions are cost-effective. Reducing factors causing air pollution and climate change have strong cobenefits. Although regions with high air pollution have the greatest potential for health benefits, health improvements continue to be associated with pollution decreases even below international standards. The large response to and short time needed for benefits of these interventions emphasize the urgency of improving global air quality and the importance of increasing efforts to reduce pollution at local levels.
Collapse
|
31
|
Guo H, Li W, Yao F, Wu J, Zhou X, Yue Y, Yeh AGO. Who are more exposed to PM2.5 pollution: A mobile phone data approach. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 143:105821. [PMID: 32702593 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have examined exposure disparity to ambient air pollution outside North America and Europe. Moreover, very few studies have investigated exposure disparity in terms of individual-level data or at multi-temporal scales. OBJECTIVES This work aims to examine the associations between individual- and neighbourhood-level economic statuses and individual exposure to PM2.5 across multi-temporal scales. METHODS The study population included 742,220 mobile phone users on a weekday in Shenzhen, China. A geo-informed backward propagation neural network model was developed to estimate hourly PM2.5 concentrations by the use of remote sensing and geospatial big data, which were then combined with individual trajectories to estimate individual total exposure during weekdays at multi-temporal scales. Coupling the estimated PM2.5 exposure with housing price, we examined the associations between individual- and neighbourhood-level economic statuses and individual exposure using linear regression and two-level hierarchical linear models. Furthermore, we performed five sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the two-level effects. RESULTS We found positive associations between individual- and neighbourhood-level economic statuses and individual PM2.5 exposure at a daytime, daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal or annual scale. Findings on the effects of the two-level economic statuses were generally robust in the five sensitivity analyses. In particular, despite the insignificant effects observed in three of newly selected time periods in the sensitivity analysis, individual- and neighbourhood-level economic statuses were still positively associated with individual total exposure during each of other newly selected periods (including three other seasons). CONCLUSIONS There are statistically positive associations of individual PM2.5 exposure with individual- and neighbourhood-level economic statuses. That is, people living in areas with higher residential property prices are more exposed to PM2.5 pollution. Findings emphasize the need for public health intervention and urban planning initiatives targeting socio-economic disparity in ambient air pollution exposure, thus alleviating health disparities across socioeconomic groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huagui Guo
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, PR China.
| | - Weifeng Li
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, PR China.
| | - Fei Yao
- School of GeoSciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FF, United Kingdom.
| | - Jiansheng Wu
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China; Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
| | - Xingang Zhou
- College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China.
| | - Yang Yue
- Department of Urban Informatics, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518052, PR China.
| | - Anthony G O Yeh
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Li Y, Lin TY, Chiu YH. Dynamic linkages among economic development, environmental pollution and human health in Chinese. COST EFFECTIVENESS AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION 2020; 18:32. [PMID: 32944004 PMCID: PMC7487810 DOI: 10.1186/s12962-020-00228-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Research on the relationships between economic development, energy consumption, environmental pollution, and human health has tended to focus on the relationships between economic growth and air pollution, energy and air pollution, or the impact of air pollution on human health. However, there has been little past research focused on all the above associations. Methods The few studies that have examined the interconnections between the economy, energy consumption, environmental pollution and health have tended to employ regression analyses, DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis), or DEA efficiency analyses; however, as these are static analysis tools, the analyses did not fully reveal the sustainable economic, energy, environmental or health developments over time, did not consider the regional differences, and most often ignored community health factors. To go some way to filling this gap, this paper developed a modified two stage Undesirable Meta Dynamic Network model to jointly analyze energy consumption, economic growth, air pollution and health treatment data in 31 Chinese high-income and upper-middle income cities from 2013-2016, for which the overall efficiency, production efficiency, healthcare resource utilization efficiency and technology gap ratio (TGR) for all input and output variables were calculated. Results It was found that: (1) the annual average overall efficiency in China's eastern region was the highest; (2) the production stage efficiencies were higher than the healthcare resource utilization stage efficiencies in most cities; (3) the high-income cities had lower TGRs than the upper-middle income cities; (4) the high-income cities had higher average energy consumption efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities; (5) the health expenditure efficiencies were the lowest of all inputs; (6) the high-income cities' respiratory disease and mortality rate efficiencies were higher than in the upper-middle income cities, which had improving mortality rate efficiencies; and (7) there were significant regional differences in the annual average input and output indicator efficiencies. Conclusions First, the high-income cities had higher average efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities. Of the ten eastern region high-income cities, Guangzhou and Shanghai had average efficiencies of 1, with the least efficient being Shijiazhuang. In the other regions, the upper-middle income cities required greater technology and health treatment investments. Second, Guangzhou, Lhasa, Nanning, and Shanghai had production efficiencies of 1, and Guangzhou, Lhasa, Nanning, Shanghai and Fuzhou had healthcare resource utilization efficiencies of 1. As the average production stage efficiencies in most cities were higher than the healthcare resource utilization stage efficiencies, greater efforts are needed to improve the healthcare resource utilization. Third, the technology gap ratios (TGRs) in the high-income cities were slightly higher than in the upper-middle income cities. Therefore, the upper-middle income cities need to learn from the high-income cities to improve their general health treatment TGRs. Fourth, while the high-income cities had higher energy consumption efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities, these were decreasing in most cities. There were few respiratory disease efficiency differences between the high-income and upper-middle income cities, the high-income cities had falling mortality rate efficiencies, and the upper-middle income cities had increasing mortality rate efficiencies. Overall, therefore, most cities needed to strengthen their health governance to balance economic growth and urban expansion. Fifth, the average AQI efficiencies in both the high-income and upper-middle income cities were higher than the average CO2 efficiencies. However, the high-income cities had lower average CO2 emissions and AQI efficiencies than the upper-middle income cities, with the AQI efficiency differences between the two city groups expanding. As most cities were focusing more on air pollution controls than carbon dioxide emissions, greater efforts were needed in coordinating the air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions treatments. Therefore, the following suggestions are given. (1) The government should reform the hospital and medical systems. (2) Local governments need to strengthen their air pollution and disease education. (3) High-income cities need to improve their healthcare governance to reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases and the associated mortality. (4) Healthcare governance efficiency needs to be prioritized in 17 upper-middle income cities, such as Hangzhou, Changchun, Harbin, Chengdu, Guiyang, Kunming and Xi'an, by establishing sound medical management systems and emergency environmental pollution treatments, and by increasing capital asset medical investments. (5) Upper-middle income cities need to adapt their treatment controls to local conditions and design medium to long-term development strategies. (6) Upper-middle income cities need to actively learn from the technological and governance experiences in the more efficient higher-income cities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Business School, Sichuan University, Wangjiang Road No. 29, Chengdu, 610064 People's Republic of China
| | - Tai-Yu Lin
- Department of Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan, 701 Taiwan R.O.C
| | - Yung-Ho Chiu
- Department of Economics, Soochow University, No. 56, Kueiyang St., Sec. 1, Taipei, 100 Taiwan R.O.C
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Turner MC, Andersen ZJ, Baccarelli A, Diver WR, Gapstur SM, Pope CA, Prada D, Samet J, Thurston G, Cohen A. Outdoor air pollution and cancer: An overview of the current evidence and public health recommendations. CA Cancer J Clin 2020; 70:10.3322/caac.21632. [PMID: 32964460 PMCID: PMC7904962 DOI: 10.3322/caac.21632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 71.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to the burden of disease worldwide. Most of the global population resides in places where air pollution levels, because of emissions from industry, power generation, transportation, and domestic burning, considerably exceed the World Health Organization's health-based air-quality guidelines. Outdoor air pollution poses an urgent worldwide public health challenge because it is ubiquitous and has numerous serious adverse human health effects, including cancer. Currently, there is substantial evidence from studies of humans and experimental animals as well as mechanistic evidence to support a causal link between outdoor (ambient) air pollution, and especially particulate matter (PM) in outdoor air, with lung cancer incidence and mortality. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of lung cancer deaths annually worldwide are attributable to PM air pollution. Epidemiological evidence on outdoor air pollution and the risk of other types of cancer, such as bladder cancer or breast cancer, is more limited. Outdoor air pollution may also be associated with poorer cancer survival, although further research is needed. This report presents an overview of outdoor air pollutants, sources, and global levels, as well as a description of epidemiological evidence linking outdoor air pollution with cancer incidence and mortality. Biological mechanisms of air pollution-derived carcinogenesis are also described. This report concludes by summarizing public health/policy recommendations, including multilevel interventions aimed at individual, community, and regional scales. Specific roles for medical and health care communities with regard to prevention and advocacy and recommendations for further research are also described.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle C. Turner
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zorana J. Andersen
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Andrea Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States
| | - W. Ryan Diver
- Behavioral and Epidemiology Research Group, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Susan M. Gapstur
- Behavioral and Epidemiology Research Group, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - C. Arden Pope
- Department of Economics, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Diddier Prada
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, United States
- Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jonathan Samet
- Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado, United States
| | - George Thurston
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
| | - Aaron Cohen
- Health Effects Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, Washington, United States
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Feng Y, Yu X, Chiu YH, Lin TY. Energy Efficiency and Health Efficiency of Old and New EU Member States. Front Public Health 2020; 8:168. [PMID: 32582601 PMCID: PMC7297082 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental protection and health issues have always been of great concern. This study employed modified Meta-Frontier Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis to explore the environmental pollution effects from energy consumption on the mortality of children and adults, tuberculosis rate, survival rate, and health expenditure efficiencies in 15 old EU states and 13 new EU states from 2010 to 2014. We calculated the overall efficiency scores and technology gap ratios for each old EU and new EU states as well as the efficiencies of non-renewable energy, renewable energy, PM2.5, CO2, labor, GDP, tuberculosis, child mortality, adult mortality, health expenditure efficiency, and survival efficiency at the health stage. The average annual overall efficiencies of the old EU states are higher than that of the new EU states. Whether in terms of energy efficiencies or health efficiencies, the inputs and outputs of the old EU states are always higher than that of the new EU states. Overall, developing countries in Eastern Europe are lagging behind in terms of energy and health efficiencies. At the same time, the efficiency of child mortality is lower than that of adult mortality, and the efficiency of PM2.5 is higher than that of CO2 in both old and new EU states.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yongqi Feng
- School of Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xinye Yu
- School of Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yung-Ho Chiu
- Department of Economics, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Yu Lin
- Department of Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Baumgartner J, Brauer M, Ezzati M. The role of cities in reducing the cardiovascular impacts of environmental pollution in low- and middle-income countries. BMC Med 2020; 18:39. [PMID: 32089131 PMCID: PMC7038592 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-1499-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As low- and middle-income countries urbanize and industrialize, they must also cope with pollution emitted from diverse sources. MAIN TEXT Strong and consistent evidence associates exposure to air pollution and lead with increased risk of cardiovascular disease occurrence and death. Further, increasing evidence, mostly from high-income countries, indicates that exposure to noise and to both high and low temperatures may also increase cardiovascular risk. There is considerably less research on the cardiovascular impacts of environmental conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the levels of pollution are often higher and the types and sources of pollution markedly different from those in higher-income settings. However, as such evidence gathers, actions to reduce exposures to pollution in low- and middle-income countries are warranted, not least because such exposures are very high. Cities, where pollution, populations, and other cardiovascular risk factors are most concentrated, may be best suited to reduce the cardiovascular burden in LMICs by applying environmental standards and policies to mitigate pollution and by implementing interventions that target the most vulnerable. The physical environment of cities can be improved though municipal processes, including infrastructure development, energy and transportation planning, and public health actions. Local regulations can incentivize or inhibit the polluting behaviors of industries and individuals. Environmental monitoring can be combined with public health warning systems and publicly available exposure maps to inform residents of environmental hazards and encourage the adoption of pollution-avoiding behaviors. Targeted individual or neighborhood interventions that identify and treat high-risk populations (e.g., lead mitigation, portable air cleaners, and preventative medications) can also be leveraged in the very near term. Research will play a key role in evaluating whether these approaches achieve their intended benefits, and whether these benefits reach the most vulnerable. CONCLUSION Cities in LMICs can play a defining role in global health and cardiovascular disease prevention in the next several decades, as they are well poised to develop innovative, multisectoral approaches to pollution mitigation, while also protecting the most vulnerable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jill Baumgartner
- Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, 1110 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A3, Canada.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Michael Brauer
- School of Population and Public Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Majid Ezzati
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- MRC Center for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- WHO Collaborating Centre for NCD Surveillance and Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
The Energy Efficiency and the Impact of Air Pollution on Health in China. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8:healthcare8010029. [PMID: 32028563 PMCID: PMC7151220 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8010029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid growth of China's economy in recent years has greatly improved its citizens' living standards, but economic growth consumes many various energy sources as well as produces harmful air pollution. Nitrogen oxides, SO2 (sulfur dioxide), and other polluting gases are damaging the environment and people's health, with a particular spike in incidences of many air pollution-related diseases in recent years. While there have been many documents discussing China's energy and environmental issues in the past, few of them analyze economic development, air pollution, and residents' health together. Therefore, this study uses the modified undesirable dynamic two-stage DEA (data envelopment analysis) model to explore the economic, environmental, and health efficiencies of 30 provinces in China. The empirical results show the following: (1) Most provinces have lower efficiency values in the health stage than in the production stage. (2) Among the provinces with annual efficiency values below 1, their energy consumption, CO2 (carbon dioxide), and NOx (nitrogen oxide) efficiency values have mostly declined from 2013 to 2016, while their SO2 efficiency values have increased (less SO2 emissions). (3) The growth rate of SO2 efficiency in 2016 for 10 provinces is much higher than in previous years. (4) The health expenditure efficiencies of most provinces are at a lower level and show room for improvement. (5) In most provinces, the mortality rate is higher, but on a decreasing trend. (6) Finally, as representative for a typical respiratory infection, most provinces have a high level of tuberculosis efficiency, indicating that most areas of China are highly effective at respiratory disease governance.
Collapse
|
37
|
Li Y, Chiu YH, Liu Y, Lin TY, Chang TH. The Impact of the Media and Environmental Pollution on the Economy and Health Using a Modified Meta 2-Stage EBM Malmquist Model. INQUIRY : A JOURNAL OF MEDICAL CARE ORGANIZATION, PROVISION AND FINANCING 2020; 57:46958020921070. [PMID: 32942931 PMCID: PMC7503011 DOI: 10.1177/0046958020921070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
China's pursuit of economic growth, rapid industrialization, and urbanization over the past few decades has resulted in high energy consumption, which in turn has caused serious environmental pollution problems, such as CO2 and PM2.5 emissions, the long-term exposure to which can seriously affect resident health. To resolve these air pollution problems, the Chinese government has put in place several policies to reduce air and environmental pollution. Past studies on energy and environmental efficiency have been mostly static, have ignored the dynamic changes over time and regional differences, and have rarely considered human health factors. Therefore, this study employed a modified meta 2-stage Epsilon-Based Measure (EBM) Malmquist model to explore the relationships between the economy, energy, the environment, health and media, and the regional differences in 31 Chinese cities from 2014 to 2016. It was found that (1) Haikou and Lhasa's efficiencies were 1 and were the best in all 3 years, and Shijiazhuang, Jinan and Shenyang's were the most improved; (2) there was a gap between the eastern, central and western technological frontiers, with Chengdu, Hohhot, Chongqing, and Nanchang having technological gap ratios below 0.70 in the western and central Chinese regions, and Haikou, Guangzhou, and Shanghai in eastern China having technological gap ratios above 0.90 in all 3 years; and (3) the variations in the health treatment stage were greater than in the production stage, indicating that technological changes and efficiency improvements in the health treatment stages in each city were not stable.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | | | - Yabin Liu
- Tourism and Development Bureau, Lhasa, P.R. China
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Guo H, Chang Z, Wu J, Li W. Air pollution and lung cancer incidence in China: Who are faced with a greater effect? ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 132:105077. [PMID: 31415963 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whether socioeconomic indicators modify the relationship between air pollution exposure and health outcomes remains uncertain, especially in developing countries. OBJECTIVE This work aims to examine modification effects of socioeconomic indicators on the association between PM2.5 and annual incidence rate of lung cancer for males in China. METHODS We performed a nationwide analysis in 295 counties (districts) from 2006 to 2014. Using multivariable linear regression models controlling for weather conditions and socioeconomic indicators, we examined modification effects in the stratified and combined datasets according to the tertile and binary divisions of socioeconomic indicators. We also extensively investigated whether the roles of socioeconomic modifications were sensitive to the further adjustment of demographic factors, health and behaviour covariates, household solid fuel consumption, the different operationalization of socioeconomic indicators and PM2.5 exposure with single and moving average lags. RESULTS We found a stronger relationship between PM2.5 and incidence rate of male lung cancer in urban areas, in the lower economic or lower education counties (districts). If PM2.5 changes by 10 μg/m3, then the shift in incidence rate relative to its mean was significantly higher by 3.97% (95% CI: 2.18%, 4.96%, p = 0.000) in urban than in rural areas. With regard to economic status, if PM2.5 changes by 10 μg/m3, then the change in incidence rate relative to its mean was significantly lower by 0.99% (95% CI: -2.18%, 0.20%, p = 0.071) and 1.39% (95% CI: -2.78%, 0.00%, p = 0.037) in the middle and high economic groups than in the low economic group, respectively. The change in incidence rate relative to its mean was significantly lower by 1.98% (95% CI: -3.18%, -0.79%, p = 0.001) and 2.78% (95% CI: -4.17%, -1.39%, p = 0.000) in the middle and high education groups compared with the low education group, respectively, if PM2.5 changes by 10 μg/m3. We found no robust modification effects of employment rate and urbanisation growth rate. CONCLUSION Male residents in urban areas, in the lower economic or lower education counties are faced with a greater effect of PM2.5 on the incidence rate of lung cancer in China. The findings emphasize the need for public health intervention and urban planning initiatives targeting the urban-rural, educational or economic disparities in health associated with air pollution exposure. Future prediction on air pollution-induced health effects should consider such socioeconomic disparities, especially for the dominant urban-rural disparity in China.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huagui Guo
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China; Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, PR China.
| | - Zheng Chang
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China.
| | - Jiansheng Wu
- Key Laboratory for Urban Habitat Environmental Science and Technology, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen 518055, PR China; Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Ministry of Education, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, PR China.
| | - Weifeng Li
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China; Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Air Pollution/Irritants, Asthma Control, and Health-Related Quality of Life among 9/11-Exposed Individuals with Asthma. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16111924. [PMID: 31151302 PMCID: PMC6604324 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16111924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Asthma control is suboptimal among World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) enrollees. Air pollution/irritants have been reported as the most prevalent trigger among World Trade Center responders. We examined the relationship between air pollution/irritants and asthma control. We also evaluated the association of asthma control with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We included 6202 enrollees age ≥18 with a history of asthma who completed the WTCHR asthma survey between 2015 and 2016. Based on modified National Asthma Education and Prevention Program criteria, asthma was categorized as controlled, poorly-controlled, or very poorly-controlled. HRQoL indicators include ≥14 unhealthy days, ≥14 activity limitation days, and self-rated general health. We used multinomial logistic regression for asthma control, and unconditional logistic regression for HRQoL, adjusting for covariates. Overall, 27.1% had poorly-controlled and 32.2% had very poorly-controlled asthma. Air pollution/irritants were associated with poorly-controlled (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.45–1.99) and very poorly-controlled asthma (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI = 1.83–2.53). Poor asthma control in turn worsened the HRQoL of asthmatic patients. Very poorly-controlled asthma was significantly associated with ≥14 unhealthy days (AOR = 3.60; 95% CI = 3.02–4.30), ≥14 activity limitation days (AOR = 4.37; 95% CI = 3.48–5.50), and poor/fair general health status (AOR = 4.92; 95% CI = 4.11–5.89). Minimizing World Trade Center (WTC) asthmatic patients’ exposure to air pollution/irritants may improve their disease management and overall well-being.
Collapse
|