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Air pollution cuts 5.5 years of life expectancy in N. China
惊悚!空气污染夺命 北方人比南方少活5.5年
A new study, published Tuesday, links heavy air pollution from coal burning to supposed shorter lifespans in northern China.
The study was carried out by researchers from China, Israel and the United States and published Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study says that the half-billion people living in northern China in the 1990s will live an average of 5 years less than their southern counterparts because they breathed dirtier air.
During the 1950-1980 period of central planning, China provided free coal to fuel boilers to heat homes and offices in the north. The policy was discontinued after 1980, but has left a legacy of heavy coal burning in north China, which releases particulate pollutants into the air that can harm human health.
