Identifying the mechanisms for the effects of air pollution on cardiopulmonary disease in Beijing, China
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Analytical & Environmental Sciences
Abstract
Large cities in China, including the capital city of Beijing, and their surrounding areas have some of the highest air pollution levels in the world. With over one half of China's population now living in cities, air pollution and air quality are important local and national policy issues. At the same time, China is undergoing changes in health: Deaths in children have come down impressively, and people live to older ages when diseases of the heart and the lung are more common and important. Air pollution in cities is one of the main causes of health problems and disease in China, with especially large effects on the heart and the lung.
We know from research in Europe and North America that air pollution adversely affects human health, but we know little about how and why this happens, and whether air pollution from different sources has more or less effects. Even less is known about what these mechanisms are in China, where air pollution may be from different sources and therefore have different chemistry. This knowledge is important for deciding what the most effective strategies to reduce the health effects of air pollution are. In this research project, leading scientists from China and the United Kingdom will work closely to use modern methods in epidemiology and biological sciences to better understand which components of air pollution affects human health in China, and how these effects occur. This knowledge will be used together with information from our related research projects to identify the most effective ways of protecting human health from air pollution in Chinese cities.
We know from research in Europe and North America that air pollution adversely affects human health, but we know little about how and why this happens, and whether air pollution from different sources has more or less effects. Even less is known about what these mechanisms are in China, where air pollution may be from different sources and therefore have different chemistry. This knowledge is important for deciding what the most effective strategies to reduce the health effects of air pollution are. In this research project, leading scientists from China and the United Kingdom will work closely to use modern methods in epidemiology and biological sciences to better understand which components of air pollution affects human health in China, and how these effects occur. This knowledge will be used together with information from our related research projects to identify the most effective ways of protecting human health from air pollution in Chinese cities.
Planned Impact
The results of our project will directly impact the translation of the findings across the Megacities-Beijing programme into the policy approaches to mitigate the effects of air pollution in Asian mega-cities. First, the results will help guide technological and economic interventions and policies for reducing air pollution levels and exposure in an effective and cost-effective manner. The pollutant-specific analyses will be essential in identifying which pollutants are most toxic. Because different air pollution sources differentially emit various pollutants, this knowledge can help identify the most important sources of hazardous emissions. For example, the balance of effects between traditional coal/biomass based combustion for domestic and industrial use and traffic related pollutants will be assessed as this will drive the policy response. We will ensure timely and appropriate dissemination of results to policy makers. In particular, the results will be provided to, and integrated in, the Global Burden of Disease Major Air Pollution Sources (GBD MAPS) project, which will focus on the burden of disease attributed to air pollution, specifically that caused by coal burning in China, India and Eastern Europe. In addition, the results will be disseminated to international guidelines (e.g., those from WHO) through participation of investigators as done for our previous studies of air pollution and human health. We will also provide a summary of the results, in easily accessible manners to policy makers in China as well as those in international/bilateral development, health and policy agencies including DFID, WHO, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the World Bank. Beyond Beijing and China, these materials will provide lessons for air pollution research and control elsewhere.
China's medical community is well aware of the rising burden of chronic diseases, and its public health community is concerned about the healthcare and economic costs of these conditions, and hence of risk factors such as air pollution that underlie them. We will ensure that our findings reach this important group. Our messages to the health and medical community will emphasise that while the ultimate solution for reducing the disease burden of air pollution is to reduce the emissions of air pollution at sources, finding interim solutions is important for protecting health, especially for vulnerable groups. Our proposed project will reveal biological mechanisms by which air pollution affect the health outcomes, including information about variability in response across individuals. This mechanistic knowledge can help identify susceptible individuals who should receive particular attention directed to reducing their exposures, for example through personal interventions such as home air purification.
Our findings will also reveal particular pathophysiological pathways linking air pollution exposure and adverse health outcomes. This knowledge can be used to develop therapeutic treatments potentially helpful for reducing the harmful impact of air pollution. For example, if oxidative stress plays an important role especially in susceptible individuals, taking antioxidants may be recommended to counter the effects of air pollution. More broadly, our results will contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of cardiopulmonary diseases, and potentially identify biomarkers for different stages of disease, in relation to environmental exposures. We will disseminate this knowledge in China, in the UK, and globally.
Finally, we will engage with the public throughout the study, in both the UK and in China. As study results become available, we will also work with the Chinese and international media to present information about air pollution for the public. There is enormous interest in the topic among the Chinese public, and timely and accurate information can help shape both social preferences and behaviours.
China's medical community is well aware of the rising burden of chronic diseases, and its public health community is concerned about the healthcare and economic costs of these conditions, and hence of risk factors such as air pollution that underlie them. We will ensure that our findings reach this important group. Our messages to the health and medical community will emphasise that while the ultimate solution for reducing the disease burden of air pollution is to reduce the emissions of air pollution at sources, finding interim solutions is important for protecting health, especially for vulnerable groups. Our proposed project will reveal biological mechanisms by which air pollution affect the health outcomes, including information about variability in response across individuals. This mechanistic knowledge can help identify susceptible individuals who should receive particular attention directed to reducing their exposures, for example through personal interventions such as home air purification.
Our findings will also reveal particular pathophysiological pathways linking air pollution exposure and adverse health outcomes. This knowledge can be used to develop therapeutic treatments potentially helpful for reducing the harmful impact of air pollution. For example, if oxidative stress plays an important role especially in susceptible individuals, taking antioxidants may be recommended to counter the effects of air pollution. More broadly, our results will contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of cardiopulmonary diseases, and potentially identify biomarkers for different stages of disease, in relation to environmental exposures. We will disseminate this knowledge in China, in the UK, and globally.
Finally, we will engage with the public throughout the study, in both the UK and in China. As study results become available, we will also work with the Chinese and international media to present information about air pollution for the public. There is enormous interest in the topic among the Chinese public, and timely and accurate information can help shape both social preferences and behaviours.
People |
ORCID iD |
Frank Kelly (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Smith JD
(2020)
PM2.5 on the London Underground.
in Environment international
Robert S
(2019)
Psychiatry Research
in Exploration of NO2 and PM2.5 air pollution and mental health problems using high-resoultion data in London-based children from the UK longitudinal cohort study
Wright SL
(2019)
Raman Spectral Imaging for the Detection of Inhalable Microplastics in Ambient Particulate Matter Samples.
in Environmental science & technology
Preston GW
(2020)
Relationships between airborne pollutants, serum albumin adducts and short-term health outcomes in an experimental crossover study.
in Chemosphere
Steyn M
(2019)
Sex Differences in Glutathione Peroxidase Activity and Central Obesity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at High Risk of Cardio-Renal Disease.
in Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
Rivas I
(2020)
Source apportionment of particle number size distribution in urban background and traffic stations in four European cities.
in Environment international
Yan L
(2019)
Study protocol: The INTERMAP China Prospective (ICP) study
in Wellcome Open Research
Evangelopoulos D
(2020)
The role of burden of disease assessment in tracking progress towards achieving WHO global air quality guidelines.
in International journal of public health
Kelly FJ
(2020)
Toxicity of airborne particles-established evidence, knowledge gaps and emerging areas of importance.
in Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences
Description | Large cities in China, including the capital city of Beijing, and their surrounding areas have some of the highest air pollution levels in the world. With over one half of China's population now living in cities, air pollution and air quality are important local and national policy issues. At the same time, China is undergoing changes in health: Deaths in children have come down impressively, and people live to older ages when diseases of the heart and the lung are more common and important. Air pollution in cities is one of the main causes of health problems and disease in China, with especially large effects on the heart and the lung. We know from research in Europe and North America that air pollution adversely affects human health, but we know little about how and why this happens, and whether air pollution from different sources has more or less effects. Even less is known about what these mechanisms are in China, where air pollution may be from different sources and therefore have different chemistry. This knowledge is important for deciding what the most effective strategies to reduce the health effects of air pollution are. In this research project, leading scientists from China and the United Kingdom will work closely to use modern methods in epidemiology and biological sciences to better understand which components of air pollution affects human health in China, and how these effects occur. This knowledge will be used together with information from our related research projects to identify the most effective ways of protecting human health from air pollution in Chinese cities. |
Exploitation Route | unknown |
Sectors | Education,Environment |
Description | APHH - China Project |
Organisation | Peking University |
Country | China |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | • To continue the UK-China dialogue about atmospheric pollution and human health issues with a range of relevant stakeholders • To showcase the emerging findings of the Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in a Chinese Megacity research programme to stakeholders (joint Newton Fund and NSFC initiative) • To discuss how existing and potential new research in the programme can assist in meeting stakeholder needs, to shape the next phase of the programme (18/19-20/21) |
Collaborator Contribution | not known |
Impact | not known |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | APHH - Air Pollution and Human Health in a Developing Megacity (APHH-Beijing) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | High levels of air pollution pose a serious health risk to inhabitants of many Chinese cities, leading to reductions in life expectancy for millions of people. The Atmospheric Pollution & Human Health in a Chinese Megacity (APHH China) programme aims to; identify the concentrations and sources of urban air pollution in Beijing, identify how people are exposed, to understand how it affects their health, and to determine what can be done about it. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/environmental-health/projects/aphh/index.aspx |
Description | China Megacity Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Participated at the China Megacity Meeting and gave a talk titled "Effects of Air pollution on Cardiopulmonary disease in urban and peri-urban residents in Beijing (AIRLESS)" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Daily Mail News report - Bacteria could be making China's smog worse - Professor Frank Kelly reports on air quality in China |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Bacteria could be making China's smog worse: Microorganisms that may be harmful to human health are multiplying and thickening Beijing's pollution haze, experts warn. Microorganisms changed as the smog got worse with some species becoming less common while others become more plentiful. Professor Kelly reports this is the first time we have seen this information, but was not involved in the study. The Study involved Professor Yao from Beijing University wanting to understand how bacteria within smog would interact with each other, which followed from a study in 2016 that found clumps of bacteria were common during severe hazes in the skies above Beijing. The team collected samples from the air during four differet types of smog episodes ranging from low to high in 2017 and 2018 and examined bacteria. They found larger amounts of bacteria when the haze was worse but that up to 70% of the microorganisms could survive and multiply in the lab. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6589811/Bacteria-making-Chinas-smog-worse.html |