Life expectancy decreases because of air pollution

Air pollution causes the average life expectancy of people in northern China today to be 5.5 years lower than that of people in the south.

Michael Greenstone, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, and colleagues collected data on air pollution levels and the average life expectancy of people in 90 cities in China from the time of year. 1981 to 2000. They found that the density of microparticles PM2.5 (diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) in the air in the north was 55% higher than in the south, while the average life expectancy of people in northern China 5.5 years lower than people in the south, the AP reported.

Masks have become an integral part of the daily life of Chinese urban people due to dirty air.(Photo: boston.com)

The research team believes that the average life expectancy in the north is lower because the coal burning activity here has been strong for decades, causing PM2.5 dust concentration to skyrocket.

PM2.5 dust is a concern for health professionals, because they can go deep into the lungs and cause respiratory diseases.

For 30 years - from 1950 to 1980 - the Chinese government provided free coal to households and factories north of the Huai River (the third largest river in China) and the Qinling Mountains to people. warm. Beijing implemented this policy because temperatures in the northern area of ​​the Huai River fell to very low levels in the winter.

The policy of free coal production left a long-lasting impact, as many coal-fired heating systems still exist in northern China today. Coal is no longer a free product, but the government still subsidizes. So the proportion of people using coal for heating is still quite large.

Francesca Dominici, professor of biological statistics at Harvard School of Public Health in the United States, says China's free coal-generating policy has created an ideal environment for researchers to collect data. about air pollution.

"We cannot create such an environment in the laboratory , " she said.