Heating policy blamed for north China's shorter lives
By Li Qian |
July 10, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PEOPLE living in northern China will live an estimated 5.5 years less than their southern counterparts because of the air they breathe, according to a new study linking coal burning to life expectancy.
The problem stems from a government policy which provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. It brought pollution along with warmth.
Burning coal in boilers is tied with the release of air pollutants, and in particular the emission of particulate matter that can be extremely harmful to human health, the study said.
Though the scheme ended in 1980, such indoor heating systems are still common today.
The study by researchers from China, Israel and the United States was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
While previous studies have found that pollution affects human health, "the deeper and ultimately more important question is the impact on life expectancy," said one of the authors, Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"This study provides a unique setting to answer the life expectancy question because the policy dramatically alters pollution concentrations for people who appear to be of otherwise identical health," Greenstone told The Associated Press.
"Further, due to the low rates of migration in China in this period, we can know people's exposure over long time periods," he said.
The policy, which gave free coal for fuel boilers to heat homes and offices to cities north of the Huaihe River, was in effect for much of the 1950-1980 period.
Researchers collected data for 90 cities, from 1981 to 2000, on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended particulates. In China, those are considered to be particles 100 micrometers or less in diameter, emitted from sources including power stations, construction sites and vehicles.
The researchers estimated the impact on life expectancies using mortality data from 1991 to 2000. They found that in the north, the concentration of particulates was 184 micrograms per cubic meter - or 55 percent - higher than in the south, and life expectancies were 5.5 years lower on average across all age ranges.
The researchers said the difference in life expectancies was almost entirely due to an increased incidence of deaths classified as cardiorespiratory - those from causes that have previously been linked to air quality, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and respiratory illnesses.
Total suspended particulates include fine matter called PM2.5 - particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. PM2.5 is of especially great concern because it can penetrate deep into the lungs.
The authors said their research suggests that every additional 100 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter in the atmosphere lowers life expectancy at birth by about three years.
Residents across northern China suffered choking pollution this winter while Beijing had the most haze in January since 1954.
When the Ministry of Environmental Protection published air quality reports for 74 cities in May, six cities in north China's Hebei Province were among the worst, as were Beijing and Tianjin.
The problem stems from a government policy which provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. It brought pollution along with warmth.
Burning coal in boilers is tied with the release of air pollutants, and in particular the emission of particulate matter that can be extremely harmful to human health, the study said.
Though the scheme ended in 1980, such indoor heating systems are still common today.
The study by researchers from China, Israel and the United States was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
While previous studies have found that pollution affects human health, "the deeper and ultimately more important question is the impact on life expectancy," said one of the authors, Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"This study provides a unique setting to answer the life expectancy question because the policy dramatically alters pollution concentrations for people who appear to be of otherwise identical health," Greenstone told The Associated Press.
"Further, due to the low rates of migration in China in this period, we can know people's exposure over long time periods," he said.
The policy, which gave free coal for fuel boilers to heat homes and offices to cities north of the Huaihe River, was in effect for much of the 1950-1980 period.
Researchers collected data for 90 cities, from 1981 to 2000, on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended particulates. In China, those are considered to be particles 100 micrometers or less in diameter, emitted from sources including power stations, construction sites and vehicles.
The researchers estimated the impact on life expectancies using mortality data from 1991 to 2000. They found that in the north, the concentration of particulates was 184 micrograms per cubic meter - or 55 percent - higher than in the south, and life expectancies were 5.5 years lower on average across all age ranges.
The researchers said the difference in life expectancies was almost entirely due to an increased incidence of deaths classified as cardiorespiratory - those from causes that have previously been linked to air quality, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and respiratory illnesses.
Total suspended particulates include fine matter called PM2.5 - particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. PM2.5 is of especially great concern because it can penetrate deep into the lungs.
The authors said their research suggests that every additional 100 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter in the atmosphere lowers life expectancy at birth by about three years.
Residents across northern China suffered choking pollution this winter while Beijing had the most haze in January since 1954.
When the Ministry of Environmental Protection published air quality reports for 74 cities in May, six cities in north China's Hebei Province were among the worst, as were Beijing and Tianjin.
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