Exploring the contributions of major emission sources to PM2.5 and attributable health burdens in China

Yong Li; Liyang Xue; Yan Tao; Yidu Li; Yancong Wu; Qin Liao; Junyi Wan; Yun Bai

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121177

Exploring the contributions of major emission sources to PM_2.5 and attributable health burdens in China

Environ Pollut. 2023 Apr 1:322:121177. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121177. Epub 2023 Jan 30.

Authors

Yong Li¹, Liyang Xue², Yan Tao³, Yidu Li⁴, Yancong Wu⁴, Qin Liao⁵, Junyi Wan⁶, Yun Bai⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, China.
² Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; Gansu Ecological Environment Emergency and Accident Investigation Center, Lanzhou, 730030, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China. Electronic address: taoyan@lzu.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
⁵ Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China; Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China.
⁶ School of Natural Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom.
⁷ School of Management Science and Engineering, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing, 400067, China.

PMID: 36731741
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121177

Abstract

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) pollution is the principal environmental risk factor for health burdens in China. Identifying the sectoral contributions of pollutant emissions sources on multiple spatiotemporal scales can help in the formulation of specific strategies. In this study, we used sensitivity analysis to explore the specific contributions of seven major emission sources to ambient PM_2.5 and attributable premature mortality across mainland China. In 2016, about 60% of China's population lived in areas with PM_2.5 concentrations above the Chinese Ambient Air Quality Standard of 35 μg/m³. This percentage was expected to decrease to 35% and 39% if industrial and residential emissions were fully eliminated. In densely populated and highly polluted regions, residential sources contributed about 50% of the PM_2.5 exposure in winter, while industrial sources contributed the most (29-51%) in the remaining seasons. The three major sectoral contributors to PM_2.5-related deaths were industry (247,000 cases, 35%), residential sources (219,000 cases, 31%), and natural sources (87,000, 12%). The relative contributions of the different sectors varied in the different provinces, with industrial sources making the largest contribution in Shanghai (65%), while residential sources predominated in Heilongjiang (63%), and natural sources dominated in Xinjiang (82%). The contributions of the agricultural (11%), transportation (6%), and power (3%) sources were relatively low in China, but emissions mitigation was still effective in densely populated areas. In conclusion, to effectively alleviate health burdens across China, priority should be given to controlling residential emissions in winter and industrial emissions all year round, taking additional measures to curb emissions from other sources in urban hotspots, and formulating air pollution control strategies tailored to local conditions.

Keywords: Air quality modeling; Ambient PM(2.5) exposure; China; Premature mortality; Sectoral contributions.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution* / analysis
China / epidemiology
Environmental Monitoring
Particulate Matter / analysis

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter