[Application of disability adjusted life years in evaluating health effects due to particulate air pollution in Chinese cities].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the loss of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) due to particulate air pollution in Chinese urban residents.


METHODS
DALYs was applied to evaluate the health effects due to particulate air pollution in the residents of 656 Chinese cities, and the data of annual average concentrations of inhalable particle (PM(10)) in 2006 were collected from the state-owned air quality monitoring network.


RESULTS
Particulate air pollution in Chinese urban areas in 2006, could cause (506.6 +/- 95.2) thousand premature deaths, (156.6 +/- 41.2) thousand new cases of chronic bronchitis, (12.6 +/- 5.2) million outpatient visits for internal medicine, (99.9 +/- 50.4) thousand and (72.0 +/- 8.2) thousand hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases respectively. The attributable DALYs loss in urban residents amounted up to (5.26 +/- 0.99) million person years in 2006, of which, 96.26% (506.55/526.22) were caused by premature deaths. The attributable loss of DALYs increased with more seriously PM-polluted atmosphere and larger urban population.


CONCLUSIONS
Substantial adverse health effects due to outdoor particulate air pollution were observed in China urban areas, thus strengthening air pollution control still remains an imperative and urgent matter in public health perspective.
Chen
Ren-Jie
RJ
Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Chen
Bing-Heng
BH
Kan
Hai-Dong
HD
D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment
D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter