Maigeng Zhou1, Guojun He2, Yunning Liu1, Peng Yin1, Yichong Li1, Haidong Kan3, Maorong Fan4, An Xue5, Maoyong Fan6. 1. The National Center for Chronic and Non-communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. 2. Division of Social Science, Division of Environment and Economics Department, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China. 3. Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 4. Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China. 5. Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China. 6. Department of Economics, Ball State University, Muncie, USA. Electronic address: mfan@bsu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: China has experienced increasingly severe levels of air pollution in the past decades, yet studies on the health effects of air pollution in China at a national study level, remain limited. This study assess the sub-chronic effect of ambient air pollution on respiratory mortality in the 32 largest Chinese cities. METHODS: We employ two-way fixed effects panel data analysis and monthly air pollution and mortality panel data. We estimate associations between monthly respiratory mortality and air pollution; pollution is defined as particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10μm. We adjust for city characteristics, seasonality (monthly effects), and weather conditions (precipitation and temperature). We examine the associations between monthly injury mortality and air pollution to check for robustness. RESULTS: The results show positive and statistically significant associations of air pollution with respiratory mortality. During the study period (2006-2010) a 10μg/m(3) increase in monthly PM10 concentration is associated with a 1.05% (95% CI, 0.08-2.04%) increase in adult respiratory mortality rate. The air pollution effect is the most salient in northern cities (with central heating system) during the cold season (October-April); a 10μg/m(3) increase in monthly PM10 concentrations is associated with a 1.62% (95% CI, 0.22-3.46%) increase in the elderly respiratory mortality rate. There is no statistically significant association between the young adult respiratory mortality and air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: The elderly respiratory mortality rate in China is positively and statistically significantly associated with air pollution. The effect is largest in northern cities during cold months when coal is burned for heating.
BACKGROUND: China has experienced increasingly severe levels of air pollution in the past decades, yet studies on the health effects of air pollution in China at a national study level, remain limited. This study assess the sub-chronic effect of ambient air pollution on respiratory mortality in the 32 largest Chinese cities. METHODS: We employ two-way fixed effects panel data analysis and monthly air pollution and mortality panel data. We estimate associations between monthly respiratory mortality and air pollution; pollution is defined as particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <10μm. We adjust for city characteristics, seasonality (monthly effects), and weather conditions (precipitation and temperature). We examine the associations between monthly injury mortality and air pollution to check for robustness. RESULTS: The results show positive and statistically significant associations of air pollution with respiratory mortality. During the study period (2006-2010) a 10μg/m(3) increase in monthly PM10 concentration is associated with a 1.05% (95% CI, 0.08-2.04%) increase in adult respiratory mortality rate. The air pollution effect is the most salient in northern cities (with central heating system) during the cold season (October-April); a 10μg/m(3) increase in monthly PM10 concentrations is associated with a 1.62% (95% CI, 0.22-3.46%) increase in the elderly respiratory mortality rate. There is no statistically significant association between the young adult respiratory mortality and air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: The elderly respiratory mortality rate in China is positively and statistically significantly associated with air pollution. The effect is largest in northern cities during cold months when coal is burned for heating.
Authors: Longjian Liu; Xuan Yang; Hui Liu; Mingquan Wang; Seth Welles; Shannon Márquez; Arthur Frank; Charles N Haas Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2016-07-18
Authors: Oyewale Mayowa Morakinyo; Matlou Ingrid Mokgobu; Murembiwa Stanley Mukhola; Raymond Paul Hunter Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2016-06-14 Impact factor: 3.390