Associations between Source-Specific Fine Particulate Matter and Mortality and Hospital Admissions in Beijing, China

The health effects of PM2.5 exposure have become a major public concern in developing countries. Identifying major PM2.5 sources and quantifying the health effects at the population level are essential for controlling PM2.5 pollution and formulating targeted emissions reduction policies. In the current study, we have obtained PM2.5 mass data and used positive matrix factorization to identify the major sources of PM2.5. We evaluated the relationship between short-term exposure to PM2.5 sources and mortality or hospital admissions in Beijing, China, using 441 742 deaths and 9 420 305 hospital admissions from 2013 to 2018. We found positive associations for coal combustion and road dust sources with mortality. Increased hospital admission risks were significantly associated with sources of vehicle exhaust, coal combustion, secondary sulfates, and secondary nitrates. Compared to the cool season, excess mortality risk estimates of coal combustion source were significantly higher in the warm season. Our findings show that reducing more toxic sources of PM2.5, especially coal emissions, and developing clean energy alternatives can have critical implications for improving air quality and protecting public health.

Automated summary

Our study in Beijing shows that coal combustion and vehicle exhaust are major sources of PM2.5, positively associated with mortality and hospital admission risks. Particularly in the warm season, the excess mortality risk estimates of coal combustion source were significantly higher.