Air pollution reduces the life expectancy of northern Chinese

China supplied its northern citizens with free coal for heating and cooking. That free-coal policy is now having an adverse effect: their life expectancy is being shortened.

The free-coal policy was in effect north of the Huai River between 1950 and 1980, reports the BBC and the Financial Times (July 9, 2013). Five hundred million people live in the region. A 2013 study conducted by Chinese, American, and Israeli researchers on air pollution and life expectancy reveals that the northern residents have reduced their life expectancy by 5.5 years with higher rates of heart and lung disease than the rest of China’s population. The air pollution from burning coal in the area north of the Huai River was 55% higher than the air quality in the south.

Researchers studied the pollution levels and deaths in 90 cities in the north of China and in the south between 1981 and 2000. The researchers focused on the total suspended particles (TSP) in the air, such as soot and smoke. They also analysed mortality statistics from 1991 to 2000 and found evidence of shorter life expectancy in the areas that were previous under the free-coal policy. The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicated that there was an increase in the number of incidences of cardio-respiratory deaths.

Therefore while the provision of coal was aimed at keeping people warm and reducing the number of winter related deaths from the cold weather and influenza, it was counterproductive. The free-coal policy has had disasterous consequences for the health of citizens.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-23236532

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog