Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics

Changqing Lin; Peter K.K. Louie; Alexis K.H. Lau; Jimmy C.H. Fung; Zibing Yuan; Minghui Tao; Xuguo Zhang; Md. Shakhaoat Hossain; Chengcai Li; Xiang Qian Lao

doi:10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008

Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics

Changqing Lin
, Peter K.K. Louie
, Alexis K.H. Lau^*
, Jimmy C.H. Fung
, Zibing Yuan
, Minghui Tao
, Xuguo Zhang
, Md. Shakhaoat Hossain
, Chengcai Li^*
, Xiang Qian Lao

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Due to the non-linearity in ozone (O₃) formation, reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) may increase O₃ concentration. Given the counteractive O₃ response to NO_x reduction, overall impact of air pollution controls can be ambiguous when the assessments focus on the changes in pollutant concentrations. In this study, a risk-based method was used to gauge the net effect of air pollution controls on mortality risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region during the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (WOP). This mega-event presents a unique opportunity to investigate the efficacy of deep cuts in pollutant emissions. Results show that O₃ concentrations greatly increased as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations decreased in the BTH. Due to the active photochemical formations, O₃ became the dominant pollutant that affected human health during the WOP. Despite the substantial O₃ increases, the health benefits of NO₂ reductions overwhelmed the adverse health effects of O₃ increases in most regions of the BTH (at 81 out of 112 stations). After considering the impacts of particulate matter, the integrated health risk of air pollution mixtures declined almost everywhere in the BTH. Our results underscore the great necessity of changing the assessment paradigm of pollution control from using concentration-based methods to using risk-based methods. Together with the carbon neutrality policy, stringent control of NO_x emission from combustion sources is a promising way to achieve synergistic control solutions for air pollution and climate change.

© 2023 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	560-569
Journal	Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)
Volume	135
Online published	23 Oct 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008
Publication status	Published - Jan 2024
Externally published	Yes

Funding

This work was supported by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Project (Nos. 42161160329 and N_HKUST609/21), the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Nos. GRF 16202120 and T24/504/17), and the Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province (No. 2019B121205004). We thank the Institute for the Environment (IENV) and Environmental Central Facility (ENVF) of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for providing atmospheric and environmental data (http://envf.ust.hk/dataview/). The authors declare that they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 13 Climate Action

Research Keywords

Carbon neutrality
Health risk
Mega-events
Nitrogen dioxide
Ozone

RGC Funding Information

RGC-funded

Access Output

10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008

Other Access Options

Check CityUHK Library

Permanent Link

Right click to copy link

Cite this

Lin, C., Louie, P. K. K., Lau, A. K. H., Fung, J. C. H., Yuan, Z., Tao, M., Zhang, X., Hossain, M. S., Li, C., & Lao, X. Q. (2024). Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics. Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), 135, 560-569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008

@article{439841e27e4a4bc49cfd2e5b033927dc,

title = "Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics",

abstract = "Due to the non-linearity in ozone (O3) formation, reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) may increase O3 concentration. Given the counteractive O3 response to NOx reduction, overall impact of air pollution controls can be ambiguous when the assessments focus on the changes in pollutant concentrations. In this study, a risk-based method was used to gauge the net effect of air pollution controls on mortality risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region during the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (WOP). This mega-event presents a unique opportunity to investigate the efficacy of deep cuts in pollutant emissions. Results show that O3 concentrations greatly increased as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations decreased in the BTH. Due to the active photochemical formations, O3 became the dominant pollutant that affected human health during the WOP. Despite the substantial O3 increases, the health benefits of NO2 reductions overwhelmed the adverse health effects of O3 increases in most regions of the BTH (at 81 out of 112 stations). After considering the impacts of particulate matter, the integrated health risk of air pollution mixtures declined almost everywhere in the BTH. Our results underscore the great necessity of changing the assessment paradigm of pollution control from using concentration-based methods to using risk-based methods. Together with the carbon neutrality policy, stringent control of NOx emission from combustion sources is a promising way to achieve synergistic control solutions for air pollution and climate change. {\textcopyright} 2023 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. ",

keywords = "Carbon neutrality, Health risk, Mega-events, Nitrogen dioxide, Ozone",

author = "Changqing Lin and Louie, \{Peter K.K.\} and Lau, \{Alexis K.H.\} and Fung, \{Jimmy C.H.\} and Zibing Yuan and Minghui Tao and Xuguo Zhang and Hossain, \{Md. Shakhaoat\} and Chengcai Li and Lao, \{Xiang Qian\}",

year = "2024",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008",

language = "English",

volume = "135",

pages = "560--569",

journal = "Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)",

issn = "1001-0742",

publisher = "Chinese Academy of Sciences",

}

Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics. / Lin, Changqing; Louie, Peter K.K.; Lau, Alexis K.H. et al.
In: Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), Vol. 135, 01.2024, p. 560-569.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics

AU - Lin, Changqing

AU - Louie, Peter K.K.

AU - Lau, Alexis K.H.

AU - Fung, Jimmy C.H.

AU - Yuan, Zibing

AU - Tao, Minghui

AU - Zhang, Xuguo

AU - Hossain, Md. Shakhaoat

AU - Li, Chengcai

AU - Lao, Xiang Qian

PY - 2024/1

Y1 - 2024/1

N2 - Due to the non-linearity in ozone (O3) formation, reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) may increase O3 concentration. Given the counteractive O3 response to NOx reduction, overall impact of air pollution controls can be ambiguous when the assessments focus on the changes in pollutant concentrations. In this study, a risk-based method was used to gauge the net effect of air pollution controls on mortality risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region during the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (WOP). This mega-event presents a unique opportunity to investigate the efficacy of deep cuts in pollutant emissions. Results show that O3 concentrations greatly increased as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations decreased in the BTH. Due to the active photochemical formations, O3 became the dominant pollutant that affected human health during the WOP. Despite the substantial O3 increases, the health benefits of NO2 reductions overwhelmed the adverse health effects of O3 increases in most regions of the BTH (at 81 out of 112 stations). After considering the impacts of particulate matter, the integrated health risk of air pollution mixtures declined almost everywhere in the BTH. Our results underscore the great necessity of changing the assessment paradigm of pollution control from using concentration-based methods to using risk-based methods. Together with the carbon neutrality policy, stringent control of NOx emission from combustion sources is a promising way to achieve synergistic control solutions for air pollution and climate change. © 2023 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

AB - Due to the non-linearity in ozone (O3) formation, reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) may increase O3 concentration. Given the counteractive O3 response to NOx reduction, overall impact of air pollution controls can be ambiguous when the assessments focus on the changes in pollutant concentrations. In this study, a risk-based method was used to gauge the net effect of air pollution controls on mortality risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) region during the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics (WOP). This mega-event presents a unique opportunity to investigate the efficacy of deep cuts in pollutant emissions. Results show that O3 concentrations greatly increased as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations decreased in the BTH. Due to the active photochemical formations, O3 became the dominant pollutant that affected human health during the WOP. Despite the substantial O3 increases, the health benefits of NO2 reductions overwhelmed the adverse health effects of O3 increases in most regions of the BTH (at 81 out of 112 stations). After considering the impacts of particulate matter, the integrated health risk of air pollution mixtures declined almost everywhere in the BTH. Our results underscore the great necessity of changing the assessment paradigm of pollution control from using concentration-based methods to using risk-based methods. Together with the carbon neutrality policy, stringent control of NOx emission from combustion sources is a promising way to achieve synergistic control solutions for air pollution and climate change. © 2023 The Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

KW - Carbon neutrality

KW - Health risk

KW - Mega-events

KW - Nitrogen dioxide

KW - Ozone

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85147902301

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85147902301&origin=recordpage

U2 - 10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008

DO - 10.1016/j.jes.2022.10.008

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 1001-0742

VL - 135

SP - 560

EP - 569

JO - Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)

JF - Journal of Environmental Sciences (China)

ER -

Net effect of air pollution controls on health risk in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics

Abstract

Funding

UN SDGs

Research Keywords

RGC Funding Information

Access Output

Other Access Options

Permanent Link

Other Files and Links

Fingerprint

Cite this