Health Risk Assessment of PM_2.5 Exposure on Non-accidental Deaths among Residents in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China

Objective To investigate the seasonal distribution of PM_2.5 pollution and non-accidental deaths of residents in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China, and to evaluate the risk of excess death caused by PM_2.5 under different concentration standards.

Methods The monitoring data of non-accidental deaths of residents in Shijiazhuang were collected, and air quality data were obtained during the same period. SPSS 22.0 and R3.6.0 were used to collate and analyze the data.

Results From 2013 to 2017, the PM_2.5 concentration in Shijiazhuang severely exceeded the standard, and the concentrations were relatively high in autumn and winter, with a maximum value of 771 μg/m³ in winter. From 2013 to 2017, the PM_2.5 concentration was above 149 μg/m³ in more than 50% of the days in winter. When the reference concentration standard of PM_2.5 was set at 75, 35, and 25 μg/m³, respectively, the total number of non-accidental excess deaths attributed to PM_2.5 was 2 087, 3 264, and 3 646, respectively, of which the number of excess deaths from circulatory diseases attributed to PM_2.5 was 1 636, 2 558, and 2 851, respectively, and the number of excess deaths from respiratory diseases attributed to PM_2.5 was 230, 353, and 398, respectively.The number of excess deaths varied among seasons and from high to low was: winter > autumn > spring > summer. The number of excess deaths in winter was the highest of the year.

Conclusion With the tightening of the PM_2.5 standard, the obtained number of excess deaths caused by PM_2.5 increases.With the decreases of the PM_2.5 pollution, the premature deaths caused by PM_2.5 pollution are reduced year by year.Winter is the season when losses caused by PM_2.5 are relatively severe, which should be the focus of PM_2.5 control.