Long-term (2001–2012) concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) and the impact on human health in Beijing, China
Beijing, the capital of China, is a densely populated city with poor air quality. The impact of high pollutant concentrations, in particular of aerosol particles, on human health is of major concern. The present study uses aerosol optical depth (AOD) as proxy to estimate long-term PM<sub>2.5&l...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2015-05-01
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| Series: | Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics |
| Online Access: | http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/15/5715/2015/acp-15-5715-2015.pdf |
| Summary: | Beijing, the capital of China, is a densely populated city with poor air
quality. The impact of high pollutant concentrations, in particular of
aerosol particles, on human health is of major concern. The present study
uses aerosol optical depth (AOD) as proxy to estimate long-term PM<sub>2.5</sub>
and subsequently estimates the premature mortality due to PM<sub>2.5</sub>. We use
the AOD from 2001 to 2012 from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) site in
Beijing and the ground-based PM<sub>2.5</sub> observations from the US embassy
in Beijing from 2010 to 2011 to establish a relationship between PM<sub>2.5</sub>
and AOD. By including the atmospheric boundary layer height and relative
humidity in the comparative analysis, the correlation (<I>R</I><sup>2</sup>) increases
from 0.28 to 0.62. We evaluate 12 years of PM<sub>2.5</sub> data for the Beijing
central area using an estimated linear relationship with AOD and calculate
the yearly premature mortality by different diseases attributable to
PM<sub>2.5</sub>. The estimated average total mortality due to PM<sub>2.5</sub> is about
5100 individuals per year for the period 2001–2012 in the Beijing central area,
and for the period 2010–2012 the per capita mortality for all ages due to
PM<sub>2.5</sub> is around 15 per 10 000 person-years, which underscores the urgent
need for air pollution abatement. |
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| ISSN: | 1680-7316 1680-7324 |