GIS-based analysis of population exposure to PM_2.5 air pollution-A case study of Beijing

PM_2.5, formally defined as particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5μm, is one of most harmful air pollutants threatening human health. Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that both short-term and long-term exposures to PM_2.5 are strongly linked with respiratory diseases. In this study, various types of spatio-temporal data were collected and used to estimate the spatio-temporal variation of PM_2.5 exposure in Beijing in 2014. The seasonal and daily variation of the population-weighted exposure level (PWEL) in 2014 was estimated and compared. The results show that the population exposure to ambient air pollution differs significantly in the four seasons, and the exposure levels in winter and spring are notably higher than the other seasons; the exposure level changes greatly from North to South, and each sub-district maintains similarity to neighboring sub-districts.