Short-term Health Effects of Fine and Ultra-fine Particle Pollution in Beijing, China

颗粒空气污染一直与世界各地的每日死亡率和发病率有关。目前，PM10和PM2.5（空气动力学直径小于10 μ m或2.5 μ m的颗粒）是流行病学调查中最常用的颗粒指标。此外，一些较新的研究结果表明，比PM2.5小得多的颗粒可能对人类健康特别重要。这里提出的研究将从两部分评估短期健康影响：首先，它将回顾性地将PM10和气态污染物与每日死亡率联系起来。其次，将前瞻性地调查3纳米至10微米粒径范围内的颗粒污染与心血管和肺部疾病急诊之间的关系。暴露评估将基于德国政府资助的项目（Wiedensohler, IfT Leipzig）中最先进的颗粒测量。测量点附近的所有急诊室就诊病例将通过一份简短的标准化协议确定，该协议由测量站附近医院的主治医生填写。泊松回归分析模型将用于量化每日急诊室就诊次数与控制季节变化、天气条件和日历影响的环境颗粒浓度之间的关联。剂量响应函数将用参数函数和半参数函数进行评估，以允许灵活的混杂控制。因此，这个为期三年的项目将为北京空气污染变化的相对作用提供新的证据，并为不同大小范围的颗粒对心血管和肺部疾病的每日计数的相对重要性提供新的证据。根据这些定量评估，将为地方当局提出建议。

Particulate air pollution has been associated consistently with daily mortality and morbidity around the world. At present, PM10 and PM2.5 (particles smaller than 10 ¿m or 2.5 ¿m aerodynamic diameter) are the most frequently used particle metric in epidemiological investigations. In addition, some newer findings suggest, that particles significantly smaller than PM2.5 may be of special importance for human health. The study proposed here will assess short term health-effects in two parts: First it will retrospectively associate PM10 and gaseous pollutants with daily mortality. Secondly, the associations between particle pollution in the size range between 3 nm and 10 ¿m and emergency visits for cardiovascular and pulmonary disease will be investigated prospectively. The exposure assessment will be based on state-of-the-art particle measurements in a DFGfunded project (Wiedensohler, IfT Leipzig). All cases of emergency room visits in the vicinity of the measuring site will be ascertained by a short standardized protocol to be filled in by the treating physician in hospitals adjacent to the measurement station. Poisson regression analyses models will be used to quantify the association between daily numbers of emergency room visits and ambient particle concentrations controlling for seasonal variation, weather conditions and calendar effects. Dose-response functions will be assessed with parametric as well as semi-paramteric functions to allow for flexible confounder control. Therefore, this three-year project will provide new evidence on the relative role of changes in air pollution in Beijing retrospectively and on the relative importance of particles in different size ranges on daily counts of cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity. Based on these quantitative assessments, recommendations for local authorities will derived.