Health risk assessment of China\u2019s main air pollutants

Jian Sun,Tiancai Zhou

doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4130-1

Abstract

BackgroundWith the rapid development of China’s economy, air pollution has attracted public concern because of its harmful effects on health.MethodsThe source apportioning of air pollution, the spatial distribution characteristics, and the relationship between atmospheric contamination, and the risk of exposure were explored. The in situ daily concentrations of the principal air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and O3) were obtained from 188 main cities with many continuous air-monitoring stations across China (2014 and 2015).ResultsThe results indicate positive correlations between PM2.5 and SO2 (R2 = 0.395/0.404, P < 0.0001), CO (R2 = 0.187/0.365, P < 0.0001), and NO2 (R2 = 0.447/0.533, P < 0.0001), but weak correlations with O3 (P > 0.05) for both 2014 and 2015. Additionally, a significant relationship between SO2, NO2, and CO was discovered using regression analysis (P < 0.0001), indicating that the origin of air pollutants is likely to be vehicle exhaust, coal consumption, and biomass open-burning. For the spatial pattern of air pollutants, we found that the highest concentration of SO2, NO2, and CO were mainly distributed in north China (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regions), Shandong, Shanxi and Henan provinces, part of Xinjiang and central Inner Mongolia (2014 and 2015).ConclusionsThe highest concentration and risk of PM2.5 was observed in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei economic belts, and Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, Hubei and Anhui provinces. Nevertheless, the highest concentration of O3 was irregularly distributed in most areas of China. A high-risk distribution of PM10, SO2 and NO2 was also observed in these regions, with the high risk of PM10 and NO2 observed in the Hebei and Shandong province, and high-risk of PM10 in Urumchi. The high-risk of NO2 distributed in Beijing-Yangtze River Delta region-Pearl River Delta region-central. Although atmospheric contamination slightly improved in 2015 compared to 2014, humanity faces the challenge of reducing the environmental and public health effects of air pollution by altering the present mode of growth to achieve sustainable social and economic development.

Highlights

With the rapid development of China’s economy, air pollution has attracted public concern because of its harmful effects on health
The highest concentration of O3 was irregularly distributed in most areas of China
Because the risk of exposure to haze across China has been insufficiently discussed, the object of the present study is to address the relationship between atmospheric contamination and human health in China

Summary

Introduction

With the rapid development of China’s economy, air pollution has attracted public concern because of its harmful effects on health. Haze is principally formed by an increase in particle size in the atmospheric medium, which affects atmospheric absorption, emission, and scattering of light. PM2.5: fine inhalable particles, with diameters that are generally 2.5 micrometers and smaller, and originates from construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks or fires, including congregated aerosols (e.g. sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and so on), black carbon (the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous combustibles) [1], dust, sea salt [2], heavy metals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon [3]. Haze incidents are a relatively new threat to human health [4], air quality [5], global climate change [6], ecological suitability for human settlement, and regional sustainable development. Haze has become a principal environmental issue in China. The formation and evolution mechanism of haze has been explored [9]: e.g., long-lasting haze occurrences in Nanjing [10], a

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