Canadian
scientists have developed a map of global air-particulate pollution
using National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite data,
and it shows that China's
air quality is very
poor compared to the rest of the world.
Aaron
van Donkelaar and Randall Martin from Dalhousie
University in Halifax, Canada created the map using
satellite data because they believed ground-based detection would be
"spotty" in areas or nonexistent. The data used for the map
is from 2001 to 2006.
The
map of global air-particulate pollution shows fine particulate matter
density worldwide through color-coding, where white and dark blue
areas have the lowest concentration of particulates and dark red
areas have the highest concentration of particulates. The reddest
part of the entire map is Eastern
China's industrial area.
Despite
the fact that the data used for the map is from 2001 to 2006, The
Wall Street Journal noted
in July that China's air quality is
getting worse, and has not improved since the time period of this
data.
In
fact, more recent studies, such as the research conducted by a team
of scientists who studied air pollution along the Yangtze River Delta
in China, proves that China's air quality is only getting worse. This
particular study concluded that the Yangtze River Delta is
one of the most densely populated areas in the world and the "fastest
growing economic development region in China." The area has seen
drastic increases in atmospheric emissions and energy consumption,
which led the team of researchers to use the Community Multiscale Air
Quality model along with an emission inventory to measure baseline
concentrations in order to calculate health risks and construct
control strategies.
Many
health issues arise from poor air quality because fine particulates
are capable of passing the body's cilia defenses and penetrating the
lungs and blood. Bronchitis, cardiovascular disease and asthma are
a few of the illnesses that can come from poor air quality. Through
both of these studies, researchers can better understand what China
is up against and can develop ways to counter it, saving hundreds of
millions of people who live in this area from chronic disease.
This
study was published in Environmental
Health Perspectives.
