Heavy smog and hospital visits in Beijing, China Chen, Renjie; Zhao, Zhuohui; Kan, Haidong
American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine,
2013-Nov-01, 2013-11-01, 20131101, Volume:
188, Issue:
9
Journal Article
Researchers must find the particles that are most dangerous to health in each place so policies can reduce levels of those pollutants first, urge Xiangdong Li and colleagues. Researchers must find ...the particles that are most dangerous to health in each place so policies can reduce levels of those pollutants first, urge Xiangdong Li and colleagues.
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FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
As the largest developing country, China has been changing rapidly over the last three decades and its economic expansion is largely driven by the use of fossil fuels, which leads to a dramatic ...increase in emissions of both ambient air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs). China is now facing the worst air pollution problem in the world, and is also the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. A number of epidemiological studies on air pollution and population health have been conducted in China, using time-series, case-crossover, cross-sectional, cohort, panel or intervention designs. The increased health risks observed among Chinese population are somewhat lower in magnitude, per amount of pollution, than the risks found in developed countries. However, the importance of these increased health risks is greater than that in North America or Europe, because the levels of air pollution in China are very high in general and Chinese population accounts for more than one fourth of the world's totals. Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that climate change has already affected human health directly and indirectly in China, including mortality from extreme weather events; changes in air and water quality; and changes in the ecology of infectious diseases. If China acts to reduce the combustion of fossil fuels and the resultant air pollution, it will reap not only the health benefits associated with improvement of air quality but also the reduced GHG emissions. Consideration of the health impact of air pollution and climate change can help the Chinese government move forward towards sustainable development with appropriate urgency.
► China may face the worst air pollution problem in the world, and is also the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. ► Sufficient evidence shows that ambient air pollutants have a wide range of adverse health effects in China. ► Some evidence suggests that climate change poses significant health risks to the population in China. ► Consideration of the health impact of air pollution and climate change simultaneously can help the Chinese government move forward towards sustainable development with appropriate urgency.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first global air quality guidelines (AQGs) for particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulfur dioxide. 4 Because of ...the same origin of air pollution and climate change, any continuous air quality improvement actions will help low-carbon development, and vice versa. ...air quality, climate change, and public health should be taken into account simultaneously. WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines: Particulate Matter PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide.
The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly on a global scale. Although it is clear that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted ...through human respiratory droplets and direct contact, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood
. Here we investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the outbreak of COVID-19 in February and March 2020. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols that was detected in isolation wards and ventilated patient rooms was very low, but it was higher in the toilet areas used by the patients. Levels of airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the most public areas was undetectable, except in two areas that were prone to crowding; this increase was possibly due to individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the crowd. We found that some medical staff areas initially had high concentrations of viral RNA with aerosol size distributions that showed peaks in the submicrometre and/or supermicrometre regions; however, these levels were reduced to undetectable levels after implementation of rigorous sanitization procedures. Although we have not established the infectivity of the virus detected in these hospital areas, we propose that SARS-CoV-2 may have the potential to be transmitted through aerosols. Our results indicate that room ventilation, open space, sanitization of protective apparel, and proper use and disinfection of toilet areas can effectively limit the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols. Future work should explore the infectivity of aerosolized virus.
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FZAB, GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Few multicity studies have been conducted to investigate the acute health effects of cold and hot temperatures in China. We aimed to examine the relationship between temperature and daily mortality ...in 17 large Chinese cities. We first calculated city-specific effect of temperature using time-series regression models combined with distributed lag nonlinear models; then we pooled the city-specific estimates with the Bayesian hierarchical models. The cold effects lasted longer than the hot effects. For the cold effects, a 1°C decrease from the 25th to 1st percentiles of temperature over lags 0–14 days was associated with increases of 1.69% 95% posterior intervals (PI): 1.01%, 2.36%, 2.49% (95% PI: 1.53%, 3.46%) and 1.60% (95% PI: 0.32%, 2.87%) in total, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, respectively. For the hot effects, a 1°C increase from the 75th to 99th percentiles of temperature was associated with corresponding increases of 2.83% (95% PI: 1.42%, 4.24%), 3.02% (95% PI: 1.33%, 4.71%) and 4.64% (95% PI: 1.96%, 7.31%). The latitudes, number of air conditioning per household and disposable income per capita were significant modifiers for cold effects; the proportion of the elderly was a significant modifier for hot effects. This largest epidemiological study of temperature to date in China suggested that both cold and hot temperatures were associated with increased mortality. Our findings may have important implications for the public health policies in China.
•The largest study in China to address the effects of temperature and its modifiers.•Both cold and hot temperatures were associated with increased mortality in China.•The hot effects were more immediate than cold effects.•Some city-level characteristics can modify the effect estimates.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Although ambient fine particulate matter (PM(2.5); particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) has been linked to adverse human health effects, the chemical constituents that cause harm are ...unknown. To our knowledge, the health effects of PM(2.5) constituents have not been reported for a developing country.
We examined the short-term association between PM(2.5) constituents and daily mortality in Xi'an, a heavily polluted Chinese city.
We obtained daily mortality data and daily concentrations of PM(2.5), organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and 10 water-soluble ions for 1 January 2004 through 31 December 2008. We also measured concentrations of fifteen elements 1 January 2006 through 31 December 2008. We analyzed the data using overdispersed generalized linear Poisson models.
During the study period, the mean daily average concentration of PM(2.5) in Xi'an was 182.2 µg/m³. Major contributors to PM(2.5) mass included OC, EC, sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium. After adjustment for PM(2.5) mass, we found significant positive associations of total, cardiovascular, or respiratory mortality with OC, EC, ammonium, nitrate, chlorine ion, chlorine, and nickel for at least one lag period. Nitrate demonstrated stronger associations with total and cardiovascular mortality than PM(2.5) mass. For a 1-day lag, interquartile range increases in PM(2.5) mass and nitrate (114.9 and 15.4 µg/m³, respectively) were associated with 1.8% 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8%, 2.8% and 3.8% (95% CI: 1.7%, 5.9%) increases in total mortality.
Our findings suggest that PM(2.5) constituents from the combustion of fossil fuel may have an appreciable influence on the health effects attributable to PM(2.5) in Xi'an.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
Evidence for extreme ambient temperature effects on the risk of mental disorders (MDs) is limited. In this study, we evaluated the short-term effects of daily mean temperature on hospital admissions ...of MDs in Shanghai, China.
We obtained daily hospital admission data for MDs, daily meteorological and ambient pollution data in Shanghai from January 2008 to December 2015. Adjusted for time trend, air pollution, relative humidity and other confounders, a quasi-Poisson generalized additive model (GAM) combined with a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to analyze the lag-exposure-response relationship between daily mean temperature and hospital admissions for MDs.
Total daily hospital admissions for MDs during the study period were 93,971. With a reference of median temperature (18.3°C), there was a significant positive association between the temperature above threshold (24.6°C) and MD hospital admission visits at a lag of 0–1days. The relative risks of extreme hot temperatures (33.1°C, 99% percentile) over the lag 0–1days compared to median temperature were 1.266 (95% confidence intervals: 1.074–1.493). No effect of cold weather on the hospital admissions for MDs was observed.
This study suggests that extreme hot temperature poses significant risks on MD; health counseling and cooling measures should be considered for the susceptible population.
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•Hot temperatures may trigger mental disorder attacks.•The threshold temperature for hot effect is 24.6°C.•Counseling and cooling measures in summer are necessary for the susceptible.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
9.
The smaller, the worse? Kan, Haidong
The Lancet. Planetary health,
September 2017, 2017-09-00, 20170901, 2017-09-01, Volume:
1, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Evidence concerning the acute health effects of air pollution caused by fine particulate matter (PM
) in developing countries is quite limited.
To evaluate short-term associations between PM
and ...daily cause-specific mortality in China.
A nationwide time-series analysis was performed in 272 representative Chinese cities from 2013 to 2015. Two-stage Bayesian hierarchical models were applied to estimate regional- and national-average associations between PM
concentrations and daily cause-specific mortality. City-specific effects of PM
were estimated using the overdispersed generalized additive models after adjusting for time trends, day of the week, and weather conditions. Exposure-response relationship curves and potential effect modifiers were also evaluated.
The average of annual mean PM
concentration in each city was 56 μg/m
(minimum, 18 μg/m
; maximum, 127 μg/m
). Each 10-μg/m
increase in 2-day moving average of PM
concentrations was significantly associated with increments in mortality of 0.22% from total nonaccidental causes, 0.27% from cardiovascular diseases, 0.39% from hypertension, 0.30% from coronary heart diseases, 0.23% from stroke, 0.29% from respiratory diseases, and 0.38% from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There was a leveling off in the exposure-response curves at high concentrations in most, but not all, regions. The associations were stronger in cities with lower PM
levels or higher temperatures, and in subpopulations with elder age or less education.
This nationwide investigation provided robust evidence of the associations between short-term exposure to PM
and increased mortality from various cardiopulmonary diseases in China. The magnitude of associations was lower than those reported in Europe and North America.
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