Scientific Study Estimates China's Air Pollution Toll At 4,400 Deaths Per Day - NYT
BEIJING Outdoor air pollution contributes to the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people in China every year, or about 4,400 people a day, according to a newly released scientific paper.
The paper maps the geographic sources of Chinas toxic air and concludes that much of the smog that routinely shrouds Beijing comes from emissions in a distant industrial zone, a finding that may complicate the governments efforts to clean up the capital citys air in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The authors are members of Berkeley Earth, a research organization based in Berkeley, Calif., that uses statistical techniques to analyze environmental issues. The paper has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS One, according to the organization.
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The researchers used similar statistical methods to assess Chinese air pollution. They analyzed four months worth of hourly readings taken at 1,500 ground stations in mainland China, Taiwan and other places in the region, including South Korea. The group said it was publishing the raw data so other researchers could use it to perform their own studies. Berkeley Earths analysis is consistent with earlier indications that China has not been able to successfully tackle its air pollution problems.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/world/asia/study-links-polluted-air-in-china-to-1-6-million-deaths-a-year.html?ref=health&assetType=nyt_now