Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Comparison of Health Impact of Air Pollution Between China and Other Countries

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ambient Air Pollution and Health Impact in China

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1017))

Abstract

Air pollution is the world’s largest single environmental risk according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which caused around seven million deaths in 2012. Extensive epidemiological studies have been carried out worldwide to examine the health impacts of ambient air pollution, consistently demonstrating significant health impacts of ambient air pollution. Air pollution problem in China is especially serious; it has become the fourth biggest threat to the health of the Chinese people. In this review, we summarized existing literature, compared health impact of air pollution between China and other countries, and found substantial heterogeneity in the risk estimates of air pollution. The effect heterogeneities may be due to the differences in the characteristics of populations (e.g., the proportion of the elder population and people with preexisting diseases), exposure profile (e.g., air pollution concentrations and composition), and regional climate. Although the magnitude of relative risk estimates of air pollution is generally similar with that in other parts of the world, air pollution is one of China’s most serious environmental health problems given the huge number of people exposed to high concentration levels of air pollution in China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS). Does china have an aging problem? Available: http://chinapower.csis.org/aging-problem/ (n.d.). Accessed 12 June 2017.

  2. Anderson HR, Atkinson RW, Peacock JL, Marston L, Konstantinou K, World Health Organization. Meta-analysis of time-series studies and panel studies of particulate matter (PM) and ozone (O3): report of a WHO task group. WHO Regional Office for Europe: Copenhagen; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Apte JS, Marshall JD, Cohen AJ, Brauer M. Addressing global mortality from ambient PM2.5. Environ Sci Technol. 2015;49(13):8057–66.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Bell ML, Dominici F, Samet JM. A meta-analysis of time-series studies of ozone and mortality with comparison to the national morbidity, mortality, and air pollution study. Epidemiology. 2005;16(4):436–45.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Bell ML, Belanger K, Ebisu K, Gent JF, Lee HJ, Koutrakis P, et al. Prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter and birth weight: variations by particulate constituents and sources. Epidemiology. 2010;21(6):884–91.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Bell ML. Assessment of the health impacts of particulate matter characteristics. Health Eff Ins. 2012;161:5–38.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bell ML, Zanobetti A, Dominici F. Evidence on vulnerability and susceptibility to health risks associated with short-term exposure to particulate matter: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 2013;178(6):865–76.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Bell ML, Zanobetti A, Dominici F. Who is more affected by ozone pollution? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;180(1):15–28.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Burnett R, Pope C III, Ezzati M, Olives C, Lim S, Mehta S, et al. An integrated risk function for estimating the global burden of disease attributable to ambient fine particulate matter exposure. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122:397–403.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Cakmak S, Dales RE, Vidal CB. Air pollution and mortality in Chile: susceptibility among the elderly. Environ Health Perspect. 2007:524–7.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Chen R, Kan H, Chen B, Huang W, Bai Z, Song G, et al. Association of particulate air pollution with daily mortality: the china air pollution and health effects study. Am J Epidemiol. 2012;175(11):1173–81.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Chen Z, Wang JN, Ma GX, Zhang YS. China tackles the health effects of air pollution. Lancet. 2013;382(9909):1959–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Fu L, Wan W, Zhang WH. China air 2015: air pollution prevention and control progress in Chinese cities. Manila: Clean Air Asia; 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  14. HEI International Oversight Committee. Health effects of outdoor air pollution in developing countries of Asia: a literature review. Boston: Health Eff Inst; 2004.

    Google Scholar 

  15. D’Ippoliti D, Forastiere F, Ancona C, Agabiti N, Fusco D, Michelozzi P, et al. Air pollution and myocardial infarction in Rome: a case-crossover analysis. Epidemiology. 2003;14(5):528–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Deguen S, Petit C, Delbarre A, Kihal W, Padilla C, Benmarhnia T, et al. Neighbourhood characteristics and long-term air pollution levels modify the association between the short-term nitrogen dioxide concentrations and all-cause mortality in paris. PLoS One. 2015;10(7):e0131463.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Dominici F, Daniels M, Zeger SL, Samet JM. Air pollution and mortality: estimating regional and national dose-response relationships. J Am Stat Assoc. 2002;97(457):100–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Faustini A, Stafoggia M, Renzi M, Cesaroni G, Alessandrini E, Davoli M, et al. Does chronic exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide exacerbate the short-term effects of airborne particles? Occup Environ Med. 2016;73(11):772–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Karagulian F, Belis CA, Dora CFC, Prüss-Ustün AM, Bonjour S, Adair-Rohani H, et al. Contributions to cities’ ambient particulate matter (PM): a systematic review of local source contributions at global level. Atmos Environ. 2015;120:475–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Katsouyanni K, Touloumi G, Samoli E, Gryparis A, Le Tertre A, Monopolis Y, et al. Confounding and effect modification in the short-term effects of ambient particles on total mortality: results from 29 European cities within the APHEA2 project. Epidemiology. 2001;12(5):521–31.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Katsouyanni K, Samet JM, Anderson H, Atkinson R, Le Tertre A, Medina S, et al. Air pollution and health: a European and North American approach (APHENA). Health Eff Inst. 2009;142:5–90.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kioumourtzoglou MA, Schwartz J, James P, Dominici F, Zanobetti A. PM2.5 and mortality in 207 U.S. cities: modification by temperature and city characteristics. Epidemiology. 2016;27(2):221–7.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Levy JI, Diez D, Dou Y, Barr CD, Dominici F. A meta-analysis and multisite time-series analysis of the differential toxicity of major fine particulate matter constituents. Am J Epidemiol. 2012;175(11):1091–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Lippmann M, Ito K, Hwang JS, Maciejczyk P, Chen LC. Cardiovascular effects of nickel in ambient air. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114(11):1662–9.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Ostro B, Feng WY, Broadwin R, Malig B, Green R, Lipsett M. The impact of components of fine particulate matter on cardiovascular mortality in susceptible subpopulations. Occup Environ Med. 2008;65(11):750–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Park SK, O’Neill MS, Vokonas PS, Sparrow D, Schwartz J. Effects of air pollution on heart rate variability: the VA normative aging study. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(3):304–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Pun VC, Yu ITS, Qiu H, Ho KF, Sun Z, Louie PK, et al. Short-term associations of cause-specific emergency hospitalizations and particulate matter chemical components in Hong Kong. Am J Epidemiol. 2014;179(9):1086–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Pun VC, Tian L, Yu IT, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Qiu H. Differential distributed lag patterns of source-specific particulate matter on respiratory emergency hospitalizations. Environ Sci Technol. 2015;49(6):3830–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Romieu I, Samet JM, Smith KR, Bruce N. Outdoor air pollution and acute respiratory infections among children in developing countries. J Occup Environ Med. 2002;44(7):640–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Romieu I, Gouveia N, Cifuentes LA, de Leon AP, Junger W, Vera J, et al. Multicity study of air pollution and mortality in Latin America (the ESCALA study). Health Eff Inst. 2012;171:5–86.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Samoli E, Touloumi G, Zanobetti A, Le Tertre A, Schindler C, Atkinson R, et al. Investigating the dose-response relation between air pollution and total mortality in the APHEA-2 multicity project. J Occup Environ Med. 2003;60(12):977–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Samoli E, Analitis A, Touloumi G, Schwartz J, Anderson HR, Sunyer J, et al. Estimating the exposure-response relationships between particulate matter and mortality within the APHEA multicity project. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(1):88–95.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Sandström T, Frew A, Svartengren M, Viegi G. The need for a focus on air pollution research in the elderly. Eur Respir J. 2003;21(40 suppl):92s–5s.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Shang Y, Sun Z, Cao J, Wang X, Zhong L, Bi X, et al. Systematic review of Chinese studies of short-term exposure to air pollution and daily mortality. Environ Int. 2013;54(2013):100–11.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Shi S, Chen C, Zhao B. Modifications of exposure to ambient particulate matter: tackling bias in using ambient concentration as surrogate with particle infiltration factor and ambient exposure factor. Environ Pollut. 2017;220(2017):337–47.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Simpson R, Williams G, Petroeschevsky A, Best T, Morgan G, Denison L, et al. The short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality in four Australian cities. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2005;29(3):205–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Stanek LW, Sacks JD, Dutton SJ, Dubois JJB. Attributing health effects to apportioned components and sources of particulate matter: an evaluation of collective results. Atmos Environ. 2011;45(32):5655–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Sun S, Qiu H, Ho KF, Tian L. Chemical components of respirable particulate matter associated with emergency hospital admissions for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Hong Kong. Environ Int. 2016;97(2016):93–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Sunyer J, Schwartz J, Tobías A, Macfarlane D, Garcia J, Antó JM. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at increased risk of death associated with urban particle air pollution: a case-crossover analysis. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;151(1):50–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Tao Y, Huang W, Huang X, Zhong L, Lu SE, Li Y, et al. Estimated acute effects of ambient ozone and nitrogen dioxide on mortality in the Pearl River Delta of southern China. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(3):393–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. van Donkelaar A, Martin RV, Brauer M, Kahn R, Levy R, Verduzco C, et al. Global estimates of ambient fine particulate matter concentrations from satellite-based aerosol optical depth: development and application. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(6):847–55.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. WHO. Guidelines for air quality. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  43. WHO. Air quality guidelines: global update 2005: particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  44. WHO. Database on source apportionment studies for particulate matter in the air (PM10 and PM2.5). Available: http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/global/source_apport/. n.d. Accessed 6 June 2017.

  45. Xie W, Li G, Zhao D, Xie X, Wei Z, Wang W, et al. Relationship between fine particulate air pollution and ischaemic heart disease morbidity and mortality. Heart. 2015;101(4):257–63.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Yang G, Wang Y, Zeng Y, Gao GF, Liang X, Zhou M, et al. Rapid health transition in China, 1990–2010: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2013;381(9882):1987–2015.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Zanobetti A, Schwartz J, Gold D. Are there sensitive subgroups for the effects of airborne particles? Environ Health Perspect. 2000;108(9):841–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Cardiovascular damage by airborne particles: are diabetics more susceptible? Epidemiology. 2002;13(5):588–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. The effect of particulate air pollution on emergency admissions for myocardial infarction: a multicity case-crossover analysis. Environ Health Perspect. 2005;113(8):978–82.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  50. Zeka A, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Individual-level modifiers of the effects of particulate matter on daily mortality. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;163(9):849–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Zhou J, Ito K, Lall R, Lippmann M, Thurston G. Time-series analysis of mortality effects of fine particulate matter components in Detroit and Seattle. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(4):461–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This chapter was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81571130090, 91543112) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0206506, 2017YFC0702701).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Linwei Tian & Shengzhi Sun

Authors
  1. Linwei Tian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shengzhi Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linwei Tian .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Guang-Hui Dong

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Tian, L., Sun, S. (2017). Comparison of Health Impact of Air Pollution Between China and Other Countries. In: Dong, GH. (eds) Ambient Air Pollution and Health Impact in China. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1017. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5657-4_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation