Health implications of improved air quality from Beijing's driving restriction policy.
Driving restrictions is one policy that Beijing enforces to alleviate traffic congestion and air pollution. Based on a before-after comparative research design with general additive models (GAM), we evaluated the effects of Beijing's driving restriction policy on air pollution and public health. The results showed that driving restrictions significantly lowered the risk of hazardous pollution and brought valuable health benefits. Moreover, the health effects of the driving restriction policy were stronger in the cold season, for females and for residents above 65 years old. The findings imply that driving restrictions in Beijing offer substantial environmental and health benefits.
School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: asun_y@bit.edu.cn.
Yan
Y
Liu
School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China; Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: yanzhijun@bit.edu.cn.
Zhijun
Z
Yan
School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China. Electronic address: dongchao@bit.edu.cn.
Chao
C
Dong
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000068476:Beijing; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D011634:Public Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012621:Seasons; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis*
D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
Air quality; Driving restriction; Emergency room visit; Hospital admission; Outpatient visit; Respiratory disease