Abstract

We conducted a study in three representative areas of Beijing to determine respiratory health effects of indoor and outdoor air pollution. In August 1986, we measured the lung function of 1,440 adults who were 40-69 y of age and who had never smoked. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1.0) were adjusted for height, sex, and age. Outdoor ambient air pollution measurements from the World Health Organization Global Air Pollution Monitoring Station were very different in the three study areas; the annual mean concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in residential, suburban, and industrial areas were 128, 18, and 57 micrograms/m3, respectively, and annual mean concentrations of total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) were 389, 261, and 449 micrograms/m3, respectively. Coal was most frequently used for domestic heating in the residential (92%) and suburban (96%) areas compared with the industrial area (17%). Heating with coal was associated with a reduced FEV1.0 (-91 +/- 36 ml) and FVC (-84 +/- 41 ml). Living in the residential area was associated with an additional reduction in FEV1.0 (-69 +/- 34 ml) and FVC (-257 +/- 37 ml). After we adjusted for age, height, and sex, an inverse linear association was found between In outdoor SO2 (or TSPM) concentration and FEV1.0 and FVC in subjects who had and had not used coal stove heating. Regression analysis results showed that a per-unit increase in In SO2 (TSPM) concentration (microgram/m3) could result in a 35.6 (131.4) ml reduction in FEV1.0 and a 142.2 (478.7) ml reduction in FVC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Keywords

StoveEnvironmental scienceAir pollutionParticulatesVital capacityPollutionPulmonary function testingLung functionMedicineGeographyChemistryLungInternal medicine

MeSH Terms

AdultAge FactorsAgedAir PollutantsChinaCoalCross-Sectional StudiesEducational StatusFemaleHeatingHumansMaleMiddle AgedRespirationRespiratory Function TestsRespiratory InsufficiencySex FactorsSulfur DioxideUrban Population

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Publication Info

Year
1991
Type
article
Volume
46
Issue
4
Pages
198-206
Citations
91
Access
Closed

Social Impact

Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions

Citation Metrics

91
OpenAlex
3
Influential
60
CrossRef

Cite This

Xiping Xu, Douglas W. Dockery, Lihua Wang (1991). Effects of Air Pollution on Adult Pulmonary Function. Archives of Environmental Health An International Journal , 46 (4) , 198-206. https://doi.org/10.1080/00039896.1991.9937448

Identifiers

DOI
10.1080/00039896.1991.9937448
PMID
2069427

Data Quality

Data completeness: 81%