Air pollution intervention and life-saving effect in China.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Atmospheric Chemistry

Background:

• Particulate Matter (PM2.5) pollution poses significant health risks globally, particularly in China.
• Previous health burden estimations for China may be inaccurate due to coarse spatial resolution data and uniform exposure parameters.
• High PM2.5 levels necessitate refined assessments for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine PM2.5 concentration estimations across mainland China using a high-resolution hybrid approach.
• To accurately calculate and spatially reallocate PM2.5-attributable premature deaths by incorporating nationwide exposure parameters.
• To assess the impact of air pollution control policies on premature deaths from 2013 to 2017.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a hybrid remote sensing-geostatistical approach to achieve 1 km resolution PM2.5 concentration data.
• Integrated nationwide exposure parameters into the exposure-response function for precise mortality calculations.
• Analyzed PM2.5 concentrations and attributable premature deaths from 2013 to 2017.

Main Results:

• Annually averaged PM2.5 concentrations in China decreased by 39.5% (from 59.1 to 35.8 μg/m³).
• PM2.5-attributable premature deaths reduced by 12.6% (from 1.20 to 1.05 million).
• Significant reductions in premature deaths were observed, saving an estimated 214,821 lives, valued at US$210.14 billion.

Conclusions:

• Air pollution intervention policies in China have led to substantial life-saving effects and reduced PM2.5 pollution.
• Despite improvements, high PM2.5 pollution and associated premature deaths persist, especially in central/northern China and non-priority areas.
• Continued efforts for cleaner air are crucial, with a focus on non-priority regions to further improve public health outcomes.