Dataset Information

Health benefits from the rapid reduction in ambient exposure to air pollutants after China's clean air actions: progress in efficacy and geographic equality.

ABSTRACT: Clean air actions (CAAs) in China have been linked to considerable benefits in public health. However, whether the beneficial effects of CAAs are equally distributed geographically is unknown. Using high-resolution maps of the distributions of major air pollutants (fine particulate matter [PM_2.5] and ozone [O₃]) and population, we aimed to track spatiotemporal changes in health impacts from, and geographic inequality embedded in, the reduced exposures to PM_2.5 and O₃ from 2013 to 2020. We used a method established by the Global Burden of Diseases Study. By analyzing the changes in loss of life expectancy (LLE) attributable to PM_2.5 and O₃, we calculated the gain of life expectancy (GLE) to quantify the health benefits of the air-quality improvement. Finally, we assessed the geographic inequality embedded in the GLE using the Gini index (GI). Based on risk assessments of PM_2.5 and O₃, during the first stage of CAAs (2013 to 2017), the mean GLE was 1.87 months. Half of the sum of the GLE was disproportionally distributed in about one quarter of the population exposed (GI 0.44). During the second stage of CAAs (2017 to 2020), the mean GLE increased to 3.94 months and geographic inequality decreased (GI 0.18). According to our assessments, CAAs were enhanced, from the first to second stages, in terms of not only preventing premature mortality but also ameliorating health inequalities. The enhancements were related to increased sensitivity to the health effects of air pollution and synergic control of PM_2.5 and O₃ levels. Our findings will contribute to optimizing future CAAs.

SUBMITTER: Xue T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10776362 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Health benefits from the rapid reduction in ambient exposure to air pollutants after China's clean air actions: progress in efficacy and geographic equality.

Xue Tao T Wang Ruohan R Wang Meng M Wang Yanying Y Tong Dan D Meng Xia X Huang Conghong C Ai Siqi S Li Fangzhou F Cao Jingyuan J Tong Mingkun M Ni Xueqiu X Liu Hengyi H Deng Jianyu J Lu Hong H Wan Wei W Gong Jicheng J Zhang Shiqiu S Zhu Tong T

National science review 20231009 2

Clean air actions (CAAs) in China have been linked to considerable benefits in public health. However, whether the beneficial effects of CAAs are equally distributed geographically is unknown. Using high-resolution maps of the distributions of major air pollutants (fine particulate matter [PM2.5] and ozone [O3]) and population, we aimed to track spatiotemporal changes in health impacts from, and geographic inequality embedded in, the reduced exposures to PM2.5 an ...[more]

PMID: 38213522

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Project description:BackgroundMotor vehicles, including public transit buses, are a major source of air pollution in New York City (NYC) and worldwide. To address this problem, governments and transit agencies have implemented policies to introduce cleaner vehicles into transit fleets. Beginning in 2000, the Metropolitan Transit Agency began deploying compressed natural gas, hybrid electric, and low-sulfur diesel buses to reduce urban air pollution.ObjectiveWe hypothesized that bus fleet changes incorporating cleaner vehicles would have detectable effects on air pollution concentrations between 2009 and 2014, as measured by the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS).MethodsDepot- and route-specific information allowed identification of areas with larger or smaller changes in the proportion of distance traveled by clean buses. Data were assembled for 9670 300 m × 300 m grid cell areas with annual concentration estimates for nitrogen oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and black carbon (BC) from NYCCAS. Spatial error models adjusted for truck route presence and total traffic volume.ResultsWhile concentrations of all three pollutants declined between 2009 and 2014 even in the 39.7% of cells without bus service, the decline in concentrations of NO and NO2 was greater in areas with more bus service and with higher proportional shifts toward clean buses. Conversely, the decline in BC concentration was slower in areas with more bus service and higher proportional clean bus shifts.SignificanceThese results provide evidence that the NYC clean bus program impacted concentrations of air pollution, particularly in reductions of NO2. Further work can investigate the potential impact of these changes on health outcomes in NYC residents.Impact statementUrban air pollution from diesel-burning buses is an important health exposure. The New York Metropolitan Transit Agency has worked to deploy cleaner buses into their fleet, but the impact of this policy has not been evaluated. Successful reductions in air pollution are critical for public health.

Project description:BackgroundImpaired in utero fetal growth trajectory may have long term health consequences of the newborns and increase risk of adulthood metabolic diseases. Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been linked to fetal development restriction; however, the impact of exposure to ambient air pollutants on the entire course of intrauterine fetal development has not been comprehensively investigated.MethodsDuring 2015-2018, two cohorts of mother-infant dyads (N = 678 and 227) were recruited in Shanghai China, from which three categories of data were systematically collected: (1) daily exposure to six air pollutants during pregnancy, (2) fetal biometry in the 2nd (gestational week 24, [GW24]) and 3rd trimester (GW36), and (3) neonatal outcomes at birth. We investigated the impact of prenatal exposure to air pollutant mixture on the trajectory of fetal development during the course of gestation, adjusting for a broad set of potential confounds.ResultsPrenatal exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and O3 significantly reduced fetal biometry at GW24, where SO2 had the most potent effect. For every 10 μg/m3 increment increase of daily SO2 exposure during the 1st trimester shortened femur length by 2.20 mm (p = 6.7E-21) translating to 5.3% reduction from the average of the study cohort. Prenatal air pollution exposure also decreased fetal biometry at GW36 with attenuated effect size. Comparing to the lowest exposed quartile, fetus in the highest exposed quartile had 6.3% (p = 3.5E-5) and 2.1% (p = 2.4E-3) lower estimated intrauterine weight in GW24 and GW36, respectively; however, no difference in birth weight was observed, indicating a rapid catch-up growth in the 3rd trimester.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, for the first time, we demonstrated the impact of prenatal exposure to ambient air pollutants on the course of intrauterine fetal development. The altered growth trajectory and rapid catch-up growth in associated with high prenatal exposure may lead to long-term predisposition for adulthood metabolic disorders.

Dataset Information

Health benefits from the rapid reduction in ambient exposure to air pollutants after China's clean air actions: progress in efficacy and geographic equality.

Publications

Health benefits from the rapid reduction in ambient exposure to air pollutants after China's clean air actions: progress in efficacy and geographic equality.

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