TY - JOUR
T1 - Health effects of air quality regulations in Delhi, India
AU - Foster, Andrew
AU - Kumar, Naresh
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable criticisms. This research was funded in part by Population Studies and Training Center, Brown University and by two NIH grants R21HD046571-01 and R21 ES014004-01A2 .
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - This, the first systematic study, quantifies the health effects of air quality regulations in Delhi, which adopted radical measures to improve air quality, including, for example, the conversion of all commercial vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG), and the closure of polluting industries in residential areas from 2000 to 2002. Air pollution data, collected at 113 sites (spread across Delhi and its neighboring areas) from July-December 2003, were used to compute exposure at the place of residence of 3989 subjects. A socio-economic and respiratory health survey was administered in 1576 households. This survey collected time-use, residence histories, demographic information, and direct measurements of lung function with subjects. The optimal interpolation methods were used to link air pollution and respiratory health data at the place of their residence. Resident histories, in combination with secondary data, were used to impute cumulative exposure prior to the air-quality interventions, and the effects of recent air quality measures on lung function were then evaluated. Three important findings emerge from the analysis. First, the interventions were associated with a significant improvement in respiratory health. Second, the effect of these interventions varied significantly by gender and income. Third, consistent with a causal interpretation of these results, effects were the strongest among those individuals who spend a disproportionate share of their time out-of-doors.
AB - This, the first systematic study, quantifies the health effects of air quality regulations in Delhi, which adopted radical measures to improve air quality, including, for example, the conversion of all commercial vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG), and the closure of polluting industries in residential areas from 2000 to 2002. Air pollution data, collected at 113 sites (spread across Delhi and its neighboring areas) from July-December 2003, were used to compute exposure at the place of residence of 3989 subjects. A socio-economic and respiratory health survey was administered in 1576 households. This survey collected time-use, residence histories, demographic information, and direct measurements of lung function with subjects. The optimal interpolation methods were used to link air pollution and respiratory health data at the place of their residence. Resident histories, in combination with secondary data, were used to impute cumulative exposure prior to the air-quality interventions, and the effects of recent air quality measures on lung function were then evaluated. Three important findings emerge from the analysis. First, the interventions were associated with a significant improvement in respiratory health. Second, the effect of these interventions varied significantly by gender and income. Third, consistent with a causal interpretation of these results, effects were the strongest among those individuals who spend a disproportionate share of their time out-of-doors.
KW - Air pollution and health
KW - Air quality regulation
KW - Delhi
KW - Life long exposure
KW - Lung function
KW - Personal exposure
KW - Spatially detailed exposure
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U2 - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.01.005
DO - 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2011.01.005
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79951721384
VL - 45
SP - 1675
EP - 1683
JO - Atmospheric Environment
JF - Atmospheric Environment
SN - 1352-2310
IS - 9
ER -