Temperature effects on mortality and household adaptation: Evidence from China

This paper examines the effects of extreme temperatures on mortality rates, using random year-to-year variation in temperature based on county-level panel data from China. The analysis finds a robust, U-shaped relationship between temperature and mortality rates, indicating that extremely cold or hot temperatures lead to excess deaths. The heat-related (cold-related) effect is 3.5 times (3.2 times) as large as previous findings that used U.S. data, and it is especially large for the elderly population, mainly due to excess deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases. Applying these results to climate change predictions from Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model shows that by 2061–2080 the annual mortality rate is likely to increase by 14.2% if global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise throughout the 21st century, the estimated health cost of which is around 0.98 trillion Chinese Yuan per year. The paper also explores households’ adaptation behaviors to extreme temperatures. It finds that although urban households adaptively increase energy consumption when they are exposed to cold temperatures and purchase more air conditioners on hot and cold days, rural households are unresponsive to temperature fluctuations. This finding implies that rural people may be more resource constrained and suffer more when extreme temperatures occur.     

Neighborhood form and CO2 emission: evidence from 23 neighborhoods in Jinan, China

To understand the household C02 emission level in China, as well as how much the neighborhoods＇ socio-economic or design factors could influence the CO2 emission, 23 neighborhoods in Jinan were investigated in 2009 and 2010. These neighborhoods fall into four different types： superblock, enclave, grid and traditional. The household CO2 emission includes sources of both in- home energy use and passenger transportation. The average CO2 emission per household is 7.66 t.a^-1, including 6.87 t in-home operational emission and 792 kg transportation emission. The household CO2 emission by neighborhood categories is 10.97, 5.65, 6.49, 5.40 t-household-1. a-1 for superblock, enclave, grid and tradi- tional respectively. Superblock has the highest average emission and also the highest percent （more than 25%） of transportation emission among four different types of neighborhoods. The residential CO2 emission of superb- lock neighborhoods in Jinan has already reached the level in developed countries nearly ten years ago. It is predictable that more superblock neighborhoods would be built in China with the fast urbanization. How to avoid the rapid household CO2 emission growth in the future would be a systematic issue. The study also found that in addition to income and apartment area, household density, land use mix and accessibility to public transportation are three primary factors which have significant impacts on CO2 emission. High density, mixed land use and convenient accessibility to public transportation tend to reduce household CO2 emission.     

Pollution havens and industrial agglomeration

This paper examines the pollution haven hypothesis using a spatial-economy model of two countries and two sectors. The manufacturing sector generates cross-border pollution which reduces cross-sectoral productivity of agricultural goods, and lowers local income. We derive a demand-reducing effect that discourages firms to move to the country with laxer environmental regulations, in the absence of any comparative advantage. Our analysis also demonstrates that manufacturing agglomeration forces can alleviate the pollution-haven effect: a pollution haven may not arise if environmental regulation is slightly more stringent in the larger country.     

Seasonal and spatial character of PCBs in a chemical industrial zone of Shanghai,China

As one of China’s great metropolises, Shanghai is suffering from the impact of manufacture and the use of chemical industrial products, and it faces serious pollution from polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Therefore, in this study, in order to assess the seasonal and spatial character of contamination from chemical industrial zones, the concentrations of PCBs have been measured in various environmental media, including soil, leaves, and atmospheric particulate samples collected in a chemical industrial zone of Shanghai and compared with samples from presumably unpolluted sites of rural areas. In soils, the PCB concentrations ranged from 0.5 ng g⁻¹ (unpolluted site) to 586.85 ng g⁻¹ (chlor-alkali industry site). The concentrations of PCBs in evergreen leaves ranged from 0.3 ng g⁻¹ to 32.46 ng g⁻¹, and more chlorinated biphenyls congeners, such as penta-biphenyls and hexa-biphenyls, were the dominant contributors in winter and spring. Seasonal differences and the constitution patterns of congeners might be affected by the temperature and industrial activities. The PCB concentrations in the leaves of deciduous trees increase over time as the leaves grow. The PCB concentration in atmospheric particulates was in the range of 9.22–14.15 × 10³ pg m⁻³, which might be the result of influence from climate and industrial activities. The relativity of PCB contents among the environmental media was discussed. The results in this paper provide an important profile of the current contamination status of a key chemical industrial zone in China.     

Combined Fenton process and sulfide precipitation for removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater: Bench and pilot scale studies focusing on in-depth thallium removal

Addition of alkali to pH 10 is effective for precipitation of precipitable metals. Fenton treatment is effective for substantial removal of Tl, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Sulfide precipitation is a final step for removal of trace Tl, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Bench and pilot studies demonstrated the effectiveness of this combined technique. Thallium (Tl) in industrial wastewater is a public health concern due to its extremely high toxicity. However, there has been limited research regarding Tl removal techniques and engineering practices to date. In this investigation, bench and pilot studies on advanced treatment of industrial wastewater to remove Tl to a trace level were conducted. The treatment process involved a combination of hydroxide precipitation, Fenton oxidation, and sulfide precipitation. While hydroxide precipitation was ineffective for Tl+ removal, it enabled the recovery of approximately 70%–80% of Zn as Zn hydroxide in alkaline conditions. The Fenton process provided good Tl removal (>95%) through oxidation and precipitation. Tl was then removed to trace levels (<1.0 µg/L) via sulfide precipitation. Effective removal of other heavy metals was also achieved, with Cd<13.4 µg/L, Cu<39.6 µg/L, Pb<5.32 µg/L, and Zn<357 µg/L detected in the effluent. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that Tl2S precipitate formed due to sulfide precipitation. Other heavy metals were removed via the formation of metal hydroxides during hydroxide precipitation and Fenton treatment, as well as via the formation of metal sulfides during sulfide precipitation. This combined process provides a scalable approach for the in-depth removal of Tl and other heavy metals from industrial wastewater.     

Geochemical evidence of pollutants from coalfired generating stations in late Pleistocene palaeosols in the Dalijia Shan,northwestern China

Surface palaeosols in two tills and a diamicton from an area in northwestern China were analysed for geochemical pollutants. Elevated levels of Br, As and Sb indicate that pollution from coal-burning and/or coal-fired electricity generating stations is delivered by aeolian transport into palaeosols dating from the last glaciation. Because the climate in the field area is sub-humid (precipitation <760 mm) the relative movement of soluble elements in palaeosols dating from early and late stades of the last glaciation is not expected to be high. The glacial and aeolian parent materials of the palaeosols indicate differences that are probably related to their source areas and to the incorporation of geochemical pollutants.     

中国北方地区年降水与气温关系及其时空变异性

降水与气温之间的不同关系类型对植被、水资源、生态环境等有着不同的影响,全面揭示大范围多气候类型区关系类型及其时空变异性和影响成为重要研究内容.文章以范围较广、涵盖气候类型较多的中国北方地区为研究区,利用研究区及其周边的357个高密度气象站点1951—2016年年降水量、气温数据,采用中心聚类等方法,定性、定量揭示了中国...     

蛭石对镉污染土壤油菜产量和土壤中镉形态的影响

采用盆栽模拟试验法,研究了镉在不同质量分数下和在不同质量分数下加入蛭石后对油菜产量和土壤中镉形态的影响,结果表明:在低质量分数时(≤5 mg·kg-1),镉对油菜产量影响不大,而在5 mg·kg-1促进了其生长,比对照增加了20.5%,差异达显著水平.在10 mg·kg-1、50 mg·kg-1时分别比5 mg·kg-1下降29.81%,68.03%.加入蛭石后在低质量分数时效果不明显,在10 mg·kg-1、50 mg·kg-1时显著增加了油菜的产量,相对增产20.4%,35.9%.同时降低了土壤中交换态,碳酸盐结合态镉的含量,Cd-10分别下降15.77%、7.14%,Cd-50分别下降14.64%、7.21%.而残渣态和有机结合态含量大幅提高,Cd-10分别提高8.65%、9.31%、Cd-50分别提高18.89%、8.44%.     

The effect of emission trading system on infant health: evidence from China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Although existing literature has explored the effect of the emission trading system (ETS) on economic growth and pollution emissions, little is known about...     

Effects of paint particles inhalation on superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in industrial painters

The aim of this study was to examine effects of lead (Pb)-based paints on malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as an indicator for lipid peroxidation; and on activities of serum antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in industrial painters. A total of 67 male painters and 50 age-matched and gender-matched controls were included in this cross-sectional study. There were 19 smokers and 48 non-smokers in the paint-exposed group and 20 smokers and 30 non-smokers in the control group. Hemoglobin concentrations were lower in painters’ blood compared to controls. The blood Pb concentrations were higher in painters compared to controls. SOD and GPx activities were significantly lower in painters compared to controls. MDA concentration was found to be significantly elevated. Smoking was found to be a major confounder. Data suggest that Pb-based paints affect oxidant parameters in occupationally exposed workers.     

Pesticide use and health outcomes: Evidence from agricultural water pollution in China

By linking provincial pesticide usage reports from several Chinese statistical yearbooks (1998-2011) with the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (1998-2011), this study provides new evidence that pesticides adversely affect health outcomes via drinking water exposure. We follow a difference-in-difference-in-differences framework to compare health outcomes between people who drink surface water and ground water in regions with different intensities of rice pesticide use before and after 2004, when China shifted from taxing agriculture to subsidizing agricultural programs. The results indicate that a 10% increase in rice pesticide use unfavorably alters a key medical disability index (Activities of Daily Living or ADL) by 1% for rural residents 65 and older. This is equivalent to 2.13 and 0.64 million dollars in medical and family care costs, respectively. Further, we provide suggestive evidence of an intergenerational transfer of caring burden by showing pesticide use reduces out-migration of the offspring in affected households. The results are robust to a variety of robustness checks and falsification tests.     

Urban-rural nitrogen emission from household food consumption in China: spatial pattern and dynamics analysis

The nitrogen emission from household food consumption (NEHFC) has played a vital role in sustainability development. Recent changes in household dietary have significantly accelerated reactive nitrogen emissions in China. However, the spatial patterns and dynamics of these flows between urban and rural areas remain unclear. Based on material flow and spatial-temporal analysis, our study investigated the patterns of Chinese urban-rural NEHFC during 1993–2015. Increasingly apparent regional disparities were found in both the spatial patterns of urban-rural NEHFC during the study period. Notably, the spatial autocorrelation of urban NEHFC demonstrated a ‘U’ type, compared with a recent decreasing Moran’s I index of rural NEHFC. Moreover, the regional spatial-temporal variation of per capita urban NEHFC exhibited ‘South (High)-North (Low)-Middle (Fast)’ trend. By contrast, the hotspot of per capita rural NEHFC mainly concentrated in South-eastern China with a distinct regional changing of ‘Middle-east (Fast) & west (Slow).’ The Social-Economic and Regional-Development Index were far more critical than the Natural-Geographic Index to the spatial-temporal variation of per capita urban NEHFC, whereas the rural NEHFC was driven by the combined actions of all the three indexes. Our study highlighted the necessity of ‘Location-Suitable’ and ‘Urban-rural recycling’ nitrogen management strategies for reducing the risk of NEHFC in China.     

Lead distribution in Permo-Carboniferous coal from the North China Plate,China

The content and distribution of the lead in coal, gangue and the sulfur ball and the pyritic gangue of the Permo-Carboniferous in the North China Plate have been systematically studied (nearly 300 samples) in this paper. The Permo-Carboniferous coals in the North China Plate account for nearly 44.45 of total Chinese coal resources, and most of the steam coals in China come from the Permo-Carboniferous coals in the North China Plate. The result shows that lead content in the coal varied from 1.45 to 63.60 mg kg^–1, averaging 23.95 mg kg^–1; the lead content of the sulfur ball and the pyritic gangue in the coal seam ranges from 70.26–1060 mg kg^–1, with an average of 271.28 mg kg^–1; the lead content of the gangue is from 29.5 to 77.81 mg kg^–1, averaging at 40.77 mg kg^–1. The lead in the coal seam is mainly concentrated in the pyrite, such as sulfur ball, pyritic gangue or pyrite, and is the least concentrated in the organic of coal. The content of the lead has a direct ratio with the ash and the pyretic sulfur. Coal washing can reduce the content of the pyretic sulfur and the lead.     

Spillover effect of environmental investment: evidence from panel data at provincial level in China

This paper considers pollution density as a function of environmental investment. The higher environmental investment, the lower pollution density. The lower the pollution density is the higher production technology becomes. This is called the spillover effect. We collected China's panel data at the provincial level from 2005 to 2009, and tested the spillover effect of environmental investment. This paper finds that the environmental investment influenced production technology positively. There is a significant positive relation between government expenditure and spillover effect.     

Environmental decentralization,environmental public service,and public health: evidence from 289 cities in China

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Effective supply of environmental public services (EPS) is important to guarantee the mitigation of residential pollution exposure risk. This study analyzes...     

三江平原小叶章湿地系统硫的输入及输出动态

以三江平原小叶章(Calamagrostis angutifolia)湿地系统为研究对象,应用野外原位观测法研究了小叶章湿地系统硫的大气沉降输入及其输出规律.结果表明大气湿沉降中硫的月均含量变化明显,其原因主要与人类活动、降水强度及频次有关;硫沉降量具有明显的月变化特征,经估算三江平原小叶章湿地硫的年沉降总量(以S计)为113 mg·m-2·a·-1.小叶章湿地H2S、COS的排放通量均具有明显的季节和日变化规律.H2S和COS的平均释放通量(以S计)分别为O.34 μg·m-2·h-1和-0.29μg·m-2·h-1;小叶章湿地系统在生长季向大气排放H2S的量(以S计)为1.42 mg·m-2,从大气吸收COS的量(以S计)为1.83 mg·m-2.小叶章湿地系统硫的输入量远高于硫输出量,其差值为113.41 mg.m-2·a-1,这表明硫在小叶章湿地系统中处于累积状态,湿地存在潜在的酸化趋势.     

中国反刍动物甲烷排放量的初步估算及减缓技术

根据ＯＥＣＤ提供的反刍动物甲烷排放量计算方法，结合中国反刍动物能量供应的特点，初步估算了中国反刍动物甲烷排放量。反刍动物摄入总能量的６．９％～７．５％通过甲烷排放而损失掉，１９９０年甲烷排放量为５．８０Ｔｇ，约为全球动物排放量的７．２％。文中提出采取秸秆处理，舔砖和过瘤蛋白使用，改善管理等改进措施，不仅可以提高生产水平，也可减少甲烷排放量。     

温度和pH值对重组杆状病毒(AcMNPV-BmKIT-Chi)的毒力影响

研究了温度、酸碱度对重组杆状病毒(AcMNPV-BmKIT-Chi)毒力的影响.结果显示,多角体病毒在温度4~50℃,pH6.0~8.0范围内可以保持较高的毒力稳定性;不同虫龄棉铃虫幼虫对重组病毒的毒力敏感性差异显著,低虫龄对重组核型多角体病毒更为敏感;病毒对幼虫存在亚致死作用,饲毒组与对照组幼虫体重差异显著.图3表3参13     

中国东部花岗岩、玄武岩及石灰岩上土壤微量元素含量的纬向分异

在中国东部花岗岩、玄武岩和石灰岩地区布设91个采样点,采集土壤剖面和母岩样品,测试13种微量元素的含量,研究其纬向分异规律及影响因素。结果表时：（1）土壤微量元素含量顺序为：玄武岩土壤＞石灰岩土壤＞花岗岩土壤;（2）花岗岩和玄武岩上土壤微量元素含量与母岩接近,石灰岩上土壤微量元素含量远高于母岩;（3）花岗岩上土壤微量元素的含量由北向南呈降低趋势,而玄武岩和石灰岩上土壤微量元素含量由北向南均呈增高趋势,且与游离氧化铁含量的增高同步;（4）微量元素含量与氧化铁含量在玄武岩土壤中的相关性大于这两者在花岗岩土壤中的相关性。     

中国城市土壤重金属污染研究现状及对策

中国城市土壤重金属污染的主要来源是工业“三废”排放，金属采矿和冶炼，家庭燃煤，生活垃圾，汽车尾气排放。重金属在城市土壤中的分布规律表现为城市土壤重金属含量高于郊区，人类活动密集区和交通拥挤区重金属含量较高；人类活动的干扰导致土壤剖面重金属污染特征不明显。应采取预防与治理相结合的措施综合控制土壤重金属污染，并加紧制定我国的城市土壤健康评价标准。