title: Haze, public health and mitigation measures in China: A review of the current evidence for further policy response.
abstract: With rapid economic development, China has been plagued by choking air pollution in recent years, and the frequent occurrence of haze episodes has caused widespread public concern. The purpose of this study is to describe the sources and formation of haze, summarize the mitigation measures in force, review the relationship between haze pollution and public health, and to discuss the challenges, potential research directions and policy options. Haze pollution has both natural and man-made causes, though it is anthropogenic sources that are the major contributors. Accumulation of air pollutants, secondary formation of aerosols, stagnant meteorological conditions, and trans-boundary transportation of pollutants are the principal causes driving the formation and evolution of haze. In China, haze includes gaseous pollutants and fine particles, of which PM2.5is the dominant component. Short and long-term exposure to haze pollution are associated with a range of negative health outcomes, including respiratory diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, mental health problems, lung cancer and premature death. China has paid increasing attention to the improvement of air quality, and has introduced action plans and policies to tackle pollution, but many interventions have only temporary effects. There may be fierce resistance from industry groups and some government agencies, and often it is challenging to enforce relevant control measures and laws. We discuss the potential policy options for prevention, the need for wider public dialogue and the implications for scientific research.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: gaojinghong2007@126.com.
authors.forename: Jinghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag, 92019, Auckland, New Zealand. Electronic address: a.woodward@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Alistair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.affiliation: Environmental Change Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, London, UK. Electronic address: sotiris.vardoulakis@phe.gov.uk.
authors.forename: Sotiris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vardoulakis
authors.affiliation: NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), 15-17 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9SH London, UK. Electronic address: sari.kovats@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kovats
authors.affiliation: Public and Environmental Health Research Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9SH London, UK. Electronic address: paul.wilkinson@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Center, Shantou University Medical College, No. 22 Xinling Road, Shantou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address: lpli@stu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xulei@icdc.cn.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: lijingsddx@126.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: smart_yjun@163.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: lijing986169323@sina.cn.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: caolina@mail.sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: liuxiaobo@icdc.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: wuhaixia@icdc.cn.
authors.forename: Haixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China. Electronic address: liuqiyong@icdc.cn.
authors.forename: Qiyong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis; D011634:Public Health
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
keywords: Air pollution; China; Haze; Mitigation measure; Public health