Chinese Respiratory Expert: Cumulative Death Toll From Air Pollution Will Be In Millions

[hatrack]

Millions of lives will be unnecessarily lost to soaring rates of respiratory disease and lung cancer unless the Chinese government takes determined action against rampant air pollution, according to one of the country's foremost lung experts.

Bai Chunxue, the head of respiratory medicine at Shanghai's Zhongshan Hospital, said that while smoking was still the main culprit for skyrocketing rates of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the dangerously high level of air pollution was taking an increasingly devastating toll on Chinese lungs.

"If air pollution is not reduced we will have more and more respiratory disease, including lung cancer, COPD, asthma and even pneumonia and also heart disease, coronary heart disease," warned Dr Bai, who is also chairman of the Chinese Alliance against Lung Cancer and the director and founder of the Shanghai Respiratory Research Institute.

He singled out the level of fine dust particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less - known as PM2.5 - as especially dangerous because of their impact on both respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10646593/Toxic-smog-threatens-millions-of-Chinese-lives.html

[Demeter]

1. No wonder they went off the one-child policy

Poor China!

[kristopher]

3. The same kind of articles were appearing about the US in the late 60s and early 70s.

They were in the Japanese press in the late 70s and early 80s.

Does "so thick you can cut it with a knife" sound familiar about the air and water in the US?

China is following a well known pattern of development. If you graph environmental quality associated with economic development you invariably get a U curve. China is at the bottom of the U. Now, for the same reasons that motivated all the countries that followed the path before them, they have started implementing policies that will pull them back up the other side of the U.

I wonder how many people here remember the smog and water quality in the US that motivated the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts?

[oldhippie]

4. Oh my, that hide was certainly instructive ...

Last edited Wed Feb 19, 2014, 03:55 PM - Edit history (1)

On Wed Feb 19, 2014, 07:43 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

Excess deaths are a problem?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=64370

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

This is sick.

JURY RESULTS

A randomly-selected Jury of DU members completed their review of this alert at Wed Feb 19, 2014, 07:49 AM, and voted 5-1 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Pegs my WTF? meter.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Agree with the alerter.
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given

So I learn another of the "forbidden subjects" on DU. Any comment or discussion of population control is not to be tolerated. The subject is just too "sick" for the delicate audience here. And most of the jurors haven't the courage or ability to offer a meaningful explanation (though I know it is not required) and those that did were pretty lame.

I live and learn.

[Systematic Chaos]

5. I'm sure they'll still be all a-flutter when the famine hits home.

[pscot]

6. Difficult truths

offend our delicate sensibilities.

[Nihil]

7. Certain cliques will not tolerate dissent.

FWIW, discussion of overpopulation on DU is rarely seen without pile-ons and other disruptive behaviour.

Some minds are certainly not as open as they would have you believe.