Between 1978 and 1999, China’s energy consumption more than doubled.
Coal, the primary energy source in China, accounted for about 74% of the
total energy consumption during this period. It is considered that the use of
coal is the origin of many air-pollution problems, such as SO 2 pollution,
particulate matter, and acid rain.
9
Furthermore, consumption of crude oil has also increased, with the average
rate of increase of 6% per year in the past decades. Part of this increase is the
result of the growing use of motor vehicles, which has raised the ambient
pollution by NO x , CO, and related pollutants in large cities. Indeed, China’s
growing energy consumption, reliance on coal, and rapidly increasing use of
vehicles place a heavy burden on urban atmospheres in the country, and urban
air pollution has been rapidly emerging as a major environmental issue. Many
Chinese cities have suffered from increasingly serious air pollution since the
1980s. During the 1990s, some megacities, such as Beijing, Shanghai,
Shenyang, and Guangzhou, were always listed among the top 10 mostpolluted cities in the world.
9
Some researchers express serious concerns about the public health effects of
urban air pollution in China.
9 The concerns were strongly supported by the
studies of Xu et al.,
10 whose study led them to conclude that the existing airpollution levels in Beijing are associated with adverse health outcomes. The
scientists studied the data on the average number of daily hospital outpatient
visits at a community-based hospital in Beijing, and compared the data with
the levels of SO 2 and total suspended particles (TSPs) in the atmosphere. They
found that increases in the levels of the two types of pollutants were
significantly correlated with increases in hospital visits relating to internal
medicine, in both winter and summer.
10
Similar observations have been made in Seoul, South Korea, where a
number of scientists have investigated the impact of air pollution on human
health. For example, Ha et al.
11 studied the effect of air pollution on mortality
among postneonates, people aged 2 to 64 years, and those over 65 years of age.
The study included daily counts of total deaths and deaths due to respiratory
problems, along with analyses of daily levels of atmospheric particulate matter
less than 10 mm in diameter (PM 10 ). The results showed, as expected, that
infants were most susceptible to PM 10 in terms of mortality, particularly
mortality related to the respiratory system.
11
2.1.4 WATER POLLUTION
Historically, the concern about water pollution was a concern about its health
effects. While in many countries this remains true, in the U.S. and other
developed countries, the results of improved treatment and distribution
methods have, to a large degree, shifted the emphasis. Many citizens in these
countries generally regard water pollution not so much as a health issue, but
rather an issue of conservation, aesthetics, and the preservation of natural
beauty and resources. Nevertheless, many of the world’s lakes, rivers, and
streams have suffered, and are still suffering, from the effects of water
Environmental Change and Health
17
[16:55 26/8/04 P:/CRC PRESS/4365 MING-HO.751 (1670)/4365-002.3d]
Ref: 4365 MING-HO YU Chap-002 Page: 17 13-30
Coal, the primary energy source in China, accounted for about 74% of the
total energy consumption during this period. It is considered that the use of
coal is the origin of many air-pollution problems, such as SO 2 pollution,
particulate matter, and acid rain.
9
Furthermore, consumption of crude oil has also increased, with the average
rate of increase of 6% per year in the past decades. Part of this increase is the
result of the growing use of motor vehicles, which has raised the ambient
pollution by NO x , CO, and related pollutants in large cities. Indeed, China’s
growing energy consumption, reliance on coal, and rapidly increasing use of
vehicles place a heavy burden on urban atmospheres in the country, and urban
air pollution has been rapidly emerging as a major environmental issue. Many
Chinese cities have suffered from increasingly serious air pollution since the
1980s. During the 1990s, some megacities, such as Beijing, Shanghai,
Shenyang, and Guangzhou, were always listed among the top 10 mostpolluted cities in the world.
9
Some researchers express serious concerns about the public health effects of
urban air pollution in China.
9 The concerns were strongly supported by the
studies of Xu et al.,
10 whose study led them to conclude that the existing airpollution levels in Beijing are associated with adverse health outcomes. The
scientists studied the data on the average number of daily hospital outpatient
visits at a community-based hospital in Beijing, and compared the data with
the levels of SO 2 and total suspended particles (TSPs) in the atmosphere. They
found that increases in the levels of the two types of pollutants were
significantly correlated with increases in hospital visits relating to internal
medicine, in both winter and summer.
10
Similar observations have been made in Seoul, South Korea, where a
number of scientists have investigated the impact of air pollution on human
health. For example, Ha et al.
11 studied the effect of air pollution on mortality
among postneonates, people aged 2 to 64 years, and those over 65 years of age.
The study included daily counts of total deaths and deaths due to respiratory
problems, along with analyses of daily levels of atmospheric particulate matter
less than 10 mm in diameter (PM 10 ). The results showed, as expected, that
infants were most susceptible to PM 10 in terms of mortality, particularly
mortality related to the respiratory system.
11
2.1.4 WATER POLLUTION
Historically, the concern about water pollution was a concern about its health
effects. While in many countries this remains true, in the U.S. and other
developed countries, the results of improved treatment and distribution
methods have, to a large degree, shifted the emphasis. Many citizens in these
countries generally regard water pollution not so much as a health issue, but
rather an issue of conservation, aesthetics, and the preservation of natural
beauty and resources. Nevertheless, many of the world’s lakes, rivers, and
streams have suffered, and are still suffering, from the effects of water
Environmental Change and Health
17
[16:55 26/8/04 P:/CRC PRESS/4365 MING-HO.751 (1670)/4365-002.3d]
Ref: 4365 MING-HO YU Chap-002 Page: 17 13-30