Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, 55128, Germany.
Environ Pollut. 2019 Feb;245:1095-1106. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.11.088. Epub 2018 Dec 1.
The Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region (BTH) in China is a highly populated area that has recently experienced frequent haze episodes in winter. With high production capacities, the iron and steel industry (ISI) has long been a key source of air pollutants in BTH and is thus considered responsible for the degradation of local air quality. Here, we conducted a cross-disciplinary research combining the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry (WRF/Chem) model, the multiregional input-output model (MRIO) and the health assessment model to explore the impacts of the ISI on air pollution in the BTH region in January 2012. Our results show large increases in air pollution due to direct ISI emissions, with up to a 90 μg/m monthly average of fine particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO) in eastern Tangshan and western Handan. In addition to direct emissions, the ISI has induced large quantities of indirect emissions from upstream sectors (e.g., the electricity and transportation sectors), leading to PM, SO and NO increases of 2-10 μg/m in BTH. Considering the direct and indirect emissions, we estimated that 275 (233-313) PM-related mortalities occurred in January, and approximately 42% of these premature deaths occurred in Tangshan. A high rate of premature deaths also occurred in urban Beijing due to its high population density. Revealing the great health burden caused by the ISI, our results underscore the necessity for the Chinese government to reduce air pollutant emissions from the ISI and its upstream industries in BTH.
中国京津冀地区是一个人口密集的地区，冬季经常出现雾霾天气。钢铁工业（ISI）产能高，长期以来一直是京津冀地区空气污染物的主要来源，因此被认为是当地空气质量恶化的罪魁祸首。在这里，我们结合天气研究和预报化学模型（WRF/Chem）、多区域投入产出模型（MRIO）和健康评估模型进行了跨学科研究，以探讨 2012 年 1 月 ISI 对京津冀地区空气污染的影响。我们的研究结果表明，由于直接的 ISI 排放，空气污染会大幅增加，唐山东部和邯郸西部的细颗粒物（PM）和二氧化硫（SO）月平均浓度最高可达 90μg/m³。除了直接排放外，ISI 还引发了上游部门（如电力和交通部门）大量的间接排放，导致京津冀地区 PM、SO 和 NO 的增加了 2-10μg/m³。考虑到直接和间接排放，我们估计 1 月份有 275（233-313）例与 PM 相关的死亡病例，其中约 42%发生在唐山。由于人口密度高，北京城区也有很高的过早死亡发生率。这些结果揭示了 ISI 造成的巨大健康负担，凸显了中国政府有必要减少京津冀地区 ISI 及其上游产业的空气污染物排放。
