A review of advances in black carbon exposure assessment and health effects
Air pollution exposure is a critical risk factor for global premature mortality,with 60％of air pollution related deaths attributed to atmospheric particles.Black carbon(BC),a crucial component of atmospheric particles,is known as a contributor to climate change because of its light absorption properties.It is primarily formed from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass,with transportation acting as a major source in urban areas.China currently faces the highest anthropogenic emissions and exposure levels of BC in the world.In recent years,BC has garnered widespread attention due to its adverse health effects and global warming potential.Recent research suggests that BC may have more significant health effects than other components in fine particles(PM2.5,particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter≤2.5 μm)due to its unique physical and chemical properties.The large specific surface area of BC enables the absorption of toxic and hazardous substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and dioxins,enhancing its redox activity and toxicity.However,the extent of the health effects of BC appears inconsistent within the literature and studies suffer from inaccurate assessment of exposure,measurement errors,and limited intervention focused studies.Given the health implications of BC and the existing knowledge gap,it is necessary to summarize previous epidemiological studies in order to advance the scientific understanding of the health implications of BC.This study reviews 37 papers published in SCI journals since 2005.Other relevant findings in Chinese and English literature are included.The objective is to present an up-to-date overview of the research on the health effects of BC by reviewing a diverse range of study designs,exposure assessment methods,and epidemiological studies conducted both domestically and internationally.The spatial and temporal variation of anthropogenic BC emissions is large because of its complicated emission sources and meteorological conditions.Current epidemiological investigations primarily employ modeling techniques such as land use regression and spatio-temporal interpolation to estimate long-term exposure levels of BC.For short-term exposure assessments,offline filter sampling and online BC monitors are frequently employed.Inaccurate assessment of exposure results in inaccuracies in current epidemiological studies.In terms of adverse health effects of BC,most studies focus on the respiratory,cardiovascular,and nervous systems.The health effects associated with BC encompass a wide range of issues,including decreased lung function,respiratory inflammation,elevated blood pressure,atherosclerosis,cognitive impairment,visual decline,as well as other adverse outcomes.Additionally,BC exposure demonstrates significant associations with increased hospital admissions,emergency department visits,and deaths related to various diseases.Recent investigations have also revealed that BC inhaled during pregnancy could cross the placental barrier,resulting in health effects such as gestational diabetes for the mother and low birthweight for the child.Studies have revealed significant associations between BC exposure and adverse health effects across the reviewed literature.While numerous epidemiological studies have been conducted with relatively consistent findings,substantial uncertainty remains regarding the health effects of BC.We advocate for a requirement of routine monitoring of atmospheric BC concentrations and an increase in intervention focused studies,not only to advance investigations into the effects of BC on health,but ultimately to facilitate the development of effective control policies.Such endeavors will provide essential evidence for more comprehensive and in-depth investigations into the dual impacts of BC on climate change and human health.
black carbonexposure assessmentepidemiologyenvironmental healthair pollution
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