[Health Benefit Analyses of the Clean Air Action Plan Implementation in Shanghai]

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Environmental Economics

Background:

• Shanghai implemented a Clean Air Action Plan from 2013-2017.
• Air pollution, specifically PM2.5, poses significant public health risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively evaluate the public health and economic benefits of Shanghai's Clean Air Action Plan.
• To assess changes in PM2.5 exposure levels and associated health impacts.

Main Methods:

• Air quality numerical modeling.
• Health risk assessment.
• Environmental valuation methods.

Main Results:

• Population exposure to PM2.5 below 35 μg·m⁻³ increased from 1.62% to 34.06%.
• PM2.5-attributable death risk decreased from 15.2% to 11.9%.
• Total health benefits estimated at 11.841 billion RMB, 0.55% of Shanghai's 2013 GDP.

Conclusions:

• The Clean Air Action Plan positively impacted population health.
• Health benefits were more pronounced in densely populated areas with greater PM2.5 reductions.