Health benefit assessment of PM2.5 reduction in Pearl River Delta region of China using a model-monitor data fusion approach

Jiabin Li; Yun Zhu; James T Kelly; Carey J Jang; Shuxiao Wang; Adel Hanna; Jia Xing; Che-Jen Lin; Shicheng Long; Lian Yu

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.060

Health benefit assessment of PM_2.5 reduction in Pearl River Delta region of China using a model-monitor data fusion approach

J Environ Manage. 2019 Mar 1:233:489-498. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.060. Epub 2018 Dec 26.

Authors

Jiabin Li¹, Yun Zhu², James T Kelly³, Carey J Jang³, Shuxiao Wang⁴, Adel Hanna⁵, Jia Xing⁴, Che-Jen Lin⁶, Shicheng Long⁷, Lian Yu¹

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Pollution Control, School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou 510006, China. Electronic address: zhuyun@scut.edu.cn.
³ US EPA, Office Air Quality Planning & Standards, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA.
⁴ State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
⁵ Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27517, USA.
⁶ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX 77710, USA.
⁷ Guangzhou Urban Environmental Cloud Information Technology R&D Co.ltd, Guangzhou 511400, China.

Abstract

The Pearl River Delta (PRD), one of the most polluted and populous regions of China, experienced a 28% reduction in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentration between 2013 (47 μg/m³) and 2015 (34 μg/m³) under a stringent national policy known as the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (hereafter Action Plan). In this study, the health and economic benefits associated with PM_2.5 reductions in PRD during 2013-2015 were estimated using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program-Community Edition (BenMAP-CE) software. To create reliable gridded PM_2.5 surfaces for BenMAP-CE calculations, a data fusion tool which incorporates the accuracy of monitoring data and the spatial coverage of predictions from the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model has been developed. The population-weighted average PM_2.5 concentration over PRD was predicted to decline by 24%. PM_2.5-related mortality was estimated to decrease by more than 3800 due to decreases in stroke (48%), ischemic heart disease (IHD) (35%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (10%), and lung cancer (LC) (7%). A 13% reduction in PM_2.5-related premature deaths from these four causes yielded a large economic benefit of about 1300 million US dollars. Our research suggests that the Action Plan played a major role in reducing emissions and additional measures should be implemented to further reduce PM_2.5 pollution and protect public health in the future.

Keywords: Air pollution prevention and control action plan; Model-monitor data fusion; PM(2.5)-related mortality.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants*
Air Pollution*
China
Mortality, Premature
Particulate Matter

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter

Grants and funding

EPA999999/ImEPA/Intramural EPA/United States