The Effect of Air Pollution on Human Health in China: A Macro Evaluation Zhigang Chen, Xianjin Huang School of Geographic human health; effect evaluation; health production function; China I. INTRODUCTION It is well known that the harm of air pollution to human health is relatively serious and direct. Its ever estimated by World Health Organization (WHO) that there are 2.7 million people died of air pollution around the world every year 1. Also its indicated by the research of American Cancer Association that with the rising of each 10g/m3 fine Particulates in air, the fatalness of total mortality, corpulmonale mortality and lung cancer mortality will be increased by 4%, 6% and 8% respectively 2. At present, China is at the rapid advancement stage of industrialization and urbanization, a large amount of air pollutants discharged by industrial production and residents living including dust, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, etc. will inevitably do harm to human health. In order to explore the effect of air pollution on human health in China, the scholars have developed further and systematical research. From the existing literatures, the researches on the effect of air pollution on human health in China are mainly epidemiological studies and risk evaluation based on investigation data 3. It is very helpful to grasp the relationship between related diseases and air pollution, but goes against the overall control of the effect of air pollution on human heath of environmental management departments. This paper is trying to build a health production function based on related macro statistical data to evaluate the effect of air pollution on human health in China to provide decision basis for the improvement of related environmental control policies. II. AIR POLLUTION AND HUMAN HEALTH: GENERAL DESCRIPTION Air is one of the important environmental factors for living beings to live, which is directly involved in the living activities of human including metabolism and thermoregulation, etc Consequently, once the air is polluted, human health will certainly be seriously influenced. The effect of air pollution on human health is manifested in many aspects: The first is the harm of inhalable particulates to human health. Inhalable particulates can be inhaled into bronchus and lung by breathing and cause sediment hence induce lung disease and cardiovascular disease, etc.; these fine particulates are also carriers of poisonous and harmful elements like bacteria, virus, heavy metal and organic compounds, etc., and can cause carcinogenesis and cancer-promoting. The second is the harm of sulfur dioxide to human health. Sulfur dioxide takes part in oxidation reaction in the atmosphere and generates acid mist, which has acute stimulation to eye conjunctiva, nasal cavity and respiratory tract mucosa of people and cause pulmonary inflammation and pulmonary edema in severe case 4. The third is the harm of nitrogen oxide to human health. Under general conditions, when the pollutant is mainly of nitrogen dioxide, the harm to lung will be more apparent, and may cause lesions mainly of pulmonary edema in severe case. While in case there is a large amount of nitric oxide in mixed gas, methemoglobinemia and central nervous system involvement will appear. The forth is the harm of hydrogen sulfide gas and carbon monoxide to human health. Hydrogen sulfide gas has influence on respiratory system, circulatory system, digestive system, endocrine system and nervous system; and carbon monoxide is one kind of toxicant which is harmful to blood and nerve. The fifth is the harm of photochemical smog to human health. Photochemical smog is mainly formed by the photochemical reaction of nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon of automobile exhausts under the action of intense sunlight, which will make the eyes, throat and This work was sponsored by the industry research project for public welfare of the MLR of China (200811033) and the talent cultivation project of the MOE of China (NCET-05-0451). Corresponding author: Xianjin Huang 978-1-4244-2902-8/09/$25.00 2009 IEEE 1 extremities of the victim feel unwell and even cause consciousness disturbance in severe case 5. From the research of related fields, at present, some scholars have developed further epidemiological studies on air pollution in major cities of China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and so on. These studies approve that air pollution has close relation with the increase of morbidity and mortality of respiratory system diseases and circulatory system diseases 6. III. EVALUATION OF EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION ON HUMAN HEALTH The above general description of the relationship between air pollution and human health is only the brief analysis based on related research achievements of epidemiology. However, in order to make a general evaluation of health effect of air pollution from national (or regional) level, it is necessary to carry out concretely by means of m