Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems（Ministry of Education) and Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems（Ministry of Education) and Gansu Key Laboratory for Environmental Pollution Prediction and Control, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
J Environ Manage. 2020 Sep 1;269:110791. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110791. Epub 2020 May 24.
Air pollution events occur frequently in northwest China, which results in serious detrimental effects on human health. Therefore, it is essential to understand the air pollution characteristics and assess the risks to humans. In this study, we analyzed the pollution characteristics of criteria pollutants in six key cities in northwest China from 2015 to 2018. We used the air quality index (AQI), aggregate AQI (AAQI), and health-risk based AQI (HAQI) to assess the health risks and determine the proportion of people exposed to air pollution. Additionally, on this basis, the AirQ model was used to quantify the health effects of the pollutants. The results showed that PM pollution occurred mainly in spring and winter and was caused by frequent dust storms. PM pollution was caused mainly by anthropogenic activities (especially coal-fired heating in winter). Because of a series of government policies and pollutant reduction measures, PM, SO, NO, and CO concentrations showed a downward trend during the study period (except for a small increase in the case of NO in some years.). However, O showed high concentrations due to the high intensity of solar radiation in summer and inadequate emission reduction measures. The air quality levels based on their classification were generally higher than the Chinese ambient air quality standard classified by the AQI index. We also found that the higher the AQI index was, the more serious the air pollution classified based on the AAQI and HAQI indices was. The HAQI index could better reflect the impact of pollutants on human health. Based on the HAQI index, 20% of the population in the study area was exposed to polluted air. The total mortality values attributable to PM, PM, SO, O, NO, and CO, quantified by the AirQ model, were 3.00%, 1.02%, 1.00%, 4.22%, 1.57%, and 0.95% (Confidence Interval:95%), respectively; the attributable proportions of mortality for respiratory system and cardiovascular diseases were consistent with the change rule of total mortality, because the number of deaths attributable to the latter was greater than that for the former. According to the exposure reaction curves of pollutants, PM and PM still showed a large change at high concentrations. However, the tendencies of SO, NO, CO, and O were more obvious under low concentration exposure, which indicated that the expected mortality rate due to lower air pollution concentrations was much higher than the mortality due to high air pollution concentrations.
在中国西北地区，空气污染事件频繁发生，对人类健康造成严重危害。因此，了解空气污染特征并评估对人类的风险至关重要。本研究分析了 2015 年至 2018 年中国西北地区 6 个重点城市的污染物污染特征。我们使用空气质量指数（AQI）、综合空气质量指数（AAQI）和基于健康风险的空气质量指数（HAQI）评估健康风险，并确定暴露于空气污染的人群比例。此外，在此基础上，使用 AirQ 模型量化污染物对健康的影响。结果表明，PM 污染主要发生在春季和冬季，主要是由频繁的沙尘暴引起的。PM 污染主要由人为活动（特别是冬季燃煤取暖）引起。由于一系列政府政策和污染物减排措施，研究期间 PM、SO、NO 和 CO 浓度呈下降趋势（除了某些年份 NO 略有增加）。然而，由于夏季太阳辐射强度高且减排措施不足，O 浓度较高。基于其分类的空气质量水平通常高于中国按照 AQI 指数分类的环境空气质量标准。我们还发现，AQI 指数越高，基于 AAQI 和 HAQI 指数分类的空气污染越严重。HAQI 指数可以更好地反映污染物对人类健康的影响。根据 HAQI 指数，研究区域 20%的人口暴露在污染空气中。AirQ 模型量化的 PM、PM、SO、O、NO 和 CO 总死亡率值分别为 3.00%、1.02%、1.00%、4.22%、1.57%和 0.95%（置信区间：95%）；呼吸系统和心血管疾病的死亡率归因比例与总死亡率的变化规律一致，因为后者归因的死亡人数大于前者。根据污染物的暴露反应曲线，PM 和 PM 仍在高浓度下显示出较大的变化。然而，SO、NO、CO 和 O 的趋势在低浓度暴露下更为明显，这表明由于较低的空气污染浓度导致的预期死亡率要远高于因高空气污染浓度导致的死亡率。
