Air Pollution and its Health Effects in Beijing

ABSTRACT

The primary goals of this review were to summarize the epidemiological studies carried out in Beijing, China for assessing the health effects associated with both short-term and long-term exposures to air pollution. In these investigations, a time series study design was used to evaluate the health effects of short-term air pollution exposures; cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs were used to evaluate the health effects of long-term air pollution exposures. Taken together, these epidemiological studies provide coherent evidence that short-term exposures to air pollution are significantly associated with adverse reproductive outcomes such as preterm delivery and low infant weight, and excess daily morbidity and mortality, whereas long-term exposures to air pollution are associated with increased respiratory symptoms or bronchitis in adults. Moreover, these investigations suggested a synergistic effect between air pollution and personal smoking. This review of environmental epidemiological studies in Beijing clearly indicates a link between human health and ecosystem health. Concrete measures in air pollution control must be taken to halt degradation of the earth’s ecosystems from a public health viewpoint.