An epidemiological study of technological disasters in China: 1979-2005.

Although China has been known for its high frequency and human toll resulting from natural disasters, limited information is available to understand the human impact of its technological disasters (TD). This study provides a time trend analysis of the TD-induced injuries and fatalities since 1979 in mainland China. Through reviewing available academic literature and the examination of two public accessible databases, descriptive analysis of TD epidemiological profile in China was conducted by Emergency Events Database of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters in Brussels and Energy-related Severe Accidents Database of Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland which focuses on energy-related severe accidents. Implications on health protection policy and global health were discussed.