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 PM_2.5 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?C3,400) 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?C55,000) and 40,000 (95% CI, 23,000?C54,000) for PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, 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 PM_2.5 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.