Environment

Pollution Shortens Life-Expectancy - China

Chinese living in heavily polluted northern areas of the country have their lives cut by an average of 5.5 years by airborne toxins compared to those living in the relatively cleaner south of the country.

A report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says that the widespread use of coal in the north is the main cause of the shorter life spans.

Using official data from Chinese sources, an American, an Israeli and two Chinese scholars found that decades of burning coal have led to more deaths from cardio-respiratory diseases for people living north of the Huai River, which is considered the dividing line between northern and southern China.

The use of coal in central heating systems in colder northern climes is the main reason for the high emissions.

Coal has also been used to feed the explosive growth of heavy industry there.

In the aftermath of China’s Maoist revolution, the government began giving free coal for boilers so people could keep warm during the north’s cold winters. That policy is still in place.