title: The impact of petrochemical industrialisation on life expectancy and per capita income in Taiwan: an 11-year longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Petrochemical industries have been identified as important sources of emissions of chemical substances, and adverse health outcomes have been reported for residents who live nearby. The purpose of the current study was to examine the adverse effects of petrochemical industrialization in Taiwan on the life expectancy and personal income of people living in nearby communities.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study compared life expectancies and personal income between one industrial county (Yunlin County) and one reference county (Yilan County), which had no significant industrial activity that might emit pollutants, in Taiwan through analysis of 11 year long and publicly available data. Data from before and after the petrochemical company in the industrial county started (year 1999) operating were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Residents of the industrialized county had lesser increases in life expectancy over time than did residents of a similar but less-industrialized county, with difference means ranging from 0.89 years (p<0.05) to 1.62 years (p<0.001) at different stages. Male residents were more vulnerable to the effects of industrialization. There were no significant differences in individual income between the two counties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Countries, including Taiwan and the U.S., embracing petrochemical industries now face the challenge of environmental injustice. Our findings suggested that life expectancy lengthening was slowed and income growth was stalled for residents living in the industrial communities.
authors.forename: Ya-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wan-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Room 722, No, 17, Xuzhou Road, Taipei City 100, Taiwan. ccchan@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chang-Chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007221:Industry; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013624:Taiwan; D014481:United States