在中国有120萬人死於大気汚染

Yesterday the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

中国:大気汚染で１２０万人死亡　１０年、死者の１５％

毎日新聞　2013年04月03日　21時16分

　【北京・工藤哲】中国で、２０１０年に大気汚染が原因と疑われる症状で早死にした人が１２０万人を超え、この年の死者数の約１５％に上ったとの調査結果を、清華大（北京市）などが発表した。今年は天候の影響で当時より汚染が悪化、国民の健康被害の一層の拡大が懸念されている。

　２日付の経済紙「２１世紀経済報道」が報じた。それによると、３月３１日に清華大で開かれた研究会で、清華大と、米国の医療研究所との合同調査の結果として発表された。

　呼吸器や循環器の疾患を引き起こす微小粒子状物質「ＰＭ２．５」が関連すると疑われる症状による１０年の死者は▽脳血管疾患が約６０万人▽肺疾患が約２０万人▽虚血性心疾患が約２８万人▽呼吸器感染が約１万人▽気管や肺などのがんが約１４万人−−に達し、合計１２３万４０００人に上った。大気汚染は中国で食中毒や高血圧、喫煙などと並ぶ健康上のリスクと位置づけられるという。

　一方、３日付の北京紙「京華時報」によると、中国気象局のまとめで、今年３月に中国全土をスモッグが覆った日が３．３日で、平年より１．１日多く、過去５２年間の同期比で最も多かった。また北京市環境保護局によると、ＰＭ２．５より大きな粒子「ＰＭ１０」が市内で１月は前年同期の平均値より約５割多く、１〜３月も前年同期の平均値より３割増えていた。湿度や風速が過去１０年で最も小さかったことが大気汚染の悪化を引き起こしたという。

(試譯文)

In China the people who died young due to symptoms suspected to be related to the air pollution had exceed 1,200,000 in 2010; the Qinghua University (Beijing) with others released the results of an investigation which showed that this figure was more than 15% of the total death toll of that year. This year, due to the influence of the weather, the contamination had worsened. There was anxiety about an increase in the impairment of people’s health.

The financial newspaper "The 21st century economy report" dated the second of April reported this. According to it, the result was announced on March 31 by a study group held in Qinghua University as a result of a joint survey of the Qinghua University and a medical institute in the U.S.

In ten years the people killed with the symptoms suspected to be related to the minute particulate matter "PM2.5" which could cause diseases in the respiratory organs and the circulatory organ were -- cerebrovascular disease about 600,000 people ▽ lung disease about 200,000 people ▽ ischemic heart disease about 280,000 people ▽ respiratory infection about 10,000 people ▽ tracheal gill and lung cancer caused about 140,000 people; in total it went up to 1,234,000 people. It was said that in China air pollution was regarded as a health risk ranked among food poisoning, high blood pressure, smoking, etc...

On the other hand, according to the Beijing paper “Jinghua Times" dated the 3rd, the China Meteorological Administration concluded that in March this year there were 3.3 days which the whole country of China was covered by smog, being 1.1 days more than in a normal year, and it was the highest for the same period in the past 52 years. Moreover, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Agency, in the city in January the "PM10", which had particles bigger than PM2.5, was about 50 percent more than the average value of the corresponding period last year, and there was a 30 percent increase compared to the average value of the corresponding period of last year between January and March. It was said that humidity and wind velocity were the lowest in the past ten years and thus aggravated the air pollution.

I think the air pollution situation could be improved if China has the determination to improve it.