一篇名為《空氣污染對(duì)預(yù)期壽命的長(zhǎng)期影響:基于中國(guó)淮河取暖分界線的證據(jù)》的論文發(fā)表在7月8日的《美國(guó)國(guó)家科學(xué)院院刊》上,。這份研究發(fā)現(xiàn),長(zhǎng)期暴露于污染空氣中,,總懸浮顆粒物(TSP)每上升100微克/立方米,,死亡率上升14%,,平均預(yù)期壽命將縮短3年,且死亡率的上升幾乎都是由心肺疾病導(dǎo)致的,。按照北方地區(qū)總懸浮顆粒物的水平,,這意味著中國(guó)北方5億居民因嚴(yán)重的空氣污染平均每人失去5年壽命。
北京大學(xué)光華管理學(xué)院陳玉宇教授和清華大學(xué)經(jīng)濟(jì)管理學(xué)院C.V.Starr講席教授李宏彬是論文的共同第一作者,。他們?cè)趪?guó)家自然科學(xué)基金的資助下,,與以色列耶路撒冷希伯來大學(xué)的Ebenstein和美國(guó)麻省理工大學(xué)的Greenstone合作,對(duì)此進(jìn)行了深入研究,。
據(jù)介紹,,這項(xiàng)研究的科學(xué)貢獻(xiàn)在于:一、準(zhǔn)確計(jì)算了長(zhǎng)期暴露于污染的空氣對(duì)人類健康的影響,;二,、檢查了極端嚴(yán)重污染對(duì)健康的影響;三,、利用淮河南北供暖的不同作為自然實(shí)驗(yàn),,解決了空氣污染對(duì)健康影響的因果判斷這一科學(xué)難題。
此類研究的一大難題是獲得高質(zhì)量的污染和健康數(shù)據(jù),,4位學(xué)者在收集數(shù)據(jù)上付出了巨大努力,。他們收集了淮河南北90座城市從1981年到2000年間每日的總懸浮顆粒物濃度數(shù)據(jù),并通過中國(guó)疾病監(jiān)控系統(tǒng)(DSP)數(shù)據(jù)計(jì)算了1991年到2000年城市級(jí)別的各年齡死亡率,、預(yù)期壽命和死于心肺疾病的狀況,,此外研究者的數(shù)據(jù)集還包含了相應(yīng)城市的緯度位置、氣溫,、城市設(shè)施,、居民收入、教育水平等變量,。
這項(xiàng)研究還證明了嚴(yán)重的空氣污染帶來了巨大的健康成本,。根據(jù)這項(xiàng)研究,改革開放以來雖然經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)很快,,但是中國(guó)的預(yù)期壽命提升緩慢,,嚴(yán)重的空氣污染是重要原因,。因此,制定和實(shí)施力度更大的空氣污染治理政策是必要的,,在經(jīng)濟(jì)的成本收益方面也是值得的,。比如,根據(jù)這項(xiàng)研究估計(jì)的空氣污染對(duì)壽命的影響,,一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的示意性計(jì)算表明,,每年整個(gè)社會(huì)至少支付GDP的兩個(gè)百分點(diǎn)的支出,才能使得空氣顆粒懸浮物的濃度降低100微克/立方米,。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
PNAS 10.1073/pnas.1300018110
Evidence on the impact of sustained exposure to air pollution on life expectancy from China’s Huai River policy
Yuyu Chena, Avraham Ebensteinb, Michael Greenstone, and Hongbin Li
This paper's findings suggest that an arbitrary Chinese policy that greatly increases total suspended particulates (TSPs) air pollution is causing the 500 million residents of Northern China to lose more than 2.5 billion life years of life expectancy. The quasi-experimental empirical approach is based on China’s Huai River policy, which provided free winter heating via the provision of coal for boilers in cities north of the Huai River but denied heat to the south. Using a regression discontinuity design based on distance from the Huai River, we find that ambient concentrations of TSPs are about 184 μg/m3 [95% confidence interval (CI): 61, 307] or 55% higher in the north. Further, the results indicate that life expectancies are about 5.5 y (95% CI: 0.8, 10.2) lower in the north owing to an increased incidence of cardiorespiratory mortality. More generally, the analysis suggests that long-term exposure to an additional 100 μg/m3 of TSPs is associated with a reduction in life expectancy at birth of about 3.0 y (95% CI: 0.4, 5.6).