Abstract
Targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration lessens population exposure level and health burden more effectively than uniform reduction does. Quantitative assessment of effect of the targeting reduction is limited because of the lack of spatially explicit PM2.5 data. This study aimed to investigate extent of exposure and health benefits resulting from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration. We took advantage of satellite observations to characterize spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration at a resolution of 1 km. Using Hong Kong of China as the study region (804 satellite’s pixels covering its residential areas), human exposure level (cρ) and premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 (Mort) for 2015 were estimated to be 25.9 μg/m3 and 4112 people per year, respectively. We then performed 804 diagnostic tests that reduced PM2.5 concentrations by −1 μg/m3 in different areas and a reference test that uniformly spread the −1 μg/m3. We used a benefit rate from targeting reduction (BRT), which represented a ratio of declines in cρ (or Mort) with and without the targeting reduction, to quantify the extent of benefits. The diagnostic tests estimated the BRT levels for both human exposure and premature mortality to be 4.3 over Hong Kong. It indicates that the declines in human exposure and premature mortality quadrupled with a targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration over Hong Kong. The BRT values for districts of Hong Kong could be as high as 5.6 and they were positively correlated to their spatial variabilities in population density. Our results underscore the substantial exposure and health benefits from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration. To better protect public health in Hong Kong, super-regional and regional cooperation are essential. Meanwhile, local environmental policy is suggested to aim at reducing anthropogenic emissions from mobile and area (e.g., residential) sources in central and northwestern areas.
Highlights
Epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with a range of adverse health issues [1,2,3,4,5,6]
This study aims to investigate extent of exposure and health benefits resulting from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration
This study investigated the extent of exposure and health benefits resulting from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration
Summary
Epidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm) is associated with a range of adverse health issues [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Hong Kong, one of the most populous cities in the world, is a special administrative region of China. Lu et al [20] showed that the annual premature death attributable to PM2.5 over Hong Kong ranged from 4900 to 5700 people per year from 2004 to 2013. Spatiotemporal variations in PM2.5 concentration have been traditionally characterized using fixed-site observations [21] Such monitoring, is difficult to cover entire region and fully delineate the spatial distribution of PM2.5 concentration [22]. This study aims to investigate extent of exposure and health benefits resulting from the targeting reduction of PM2.5 concentration. We take advantage of high-resolution satellite observations to characterize the spatial variation in PM2.5 concentration over Hong Kong.
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