Human Health Impact of Exposure to Airborne Particulate Matter in Pearl River Delta, China

To evaluate the potential public health impact of exposure to airborne particulate matter, concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were measured at 16 monitoring stations in Pearl River Delta. Epidemiological studies were collected, and meta-analysis method was used to get the exposure-response functions for health effects on mortality of residents in China. Chinese studies reported somewhat lower exposure-response coefficients as compared with studies abroad. Both Poisson model and life-table approach were used to estimate the health effects including acute effects and chronic effects. For short-term exposure, 2,700 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2,200–3,400) premature deaths would be prevented annually if PM10 daily concentrations reduced to below World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value. Much more benefits would be gained for long-term exposure. The annual avoidable deaths would be 42,000 (95% CI, 28,000–55,000) and 40,000 (95% CI, 23,000–54,000) for PM10 and PM2.5, respectively, if the particulate matter annual concentrations were reduced to below WHO guideline values. And the average lifespan of residents would prolong 2.57 years for PM10 and 2.38 years for PM2.5 if reducing the PM annual concentrations. The benefits varied greatly in different areas and different manage strategies should be carried out to protect human health effectively.