Establishment of exposure-response functions of air particulate matter and adverse health outcomes in China and worldwide.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the exposure-response functions that could be used in health-based risk assessment of particulate air pollution in China. METHODS: Meta analysis was conducted on the literatures on air particulate matter and its adverse health outcomes in China and worldwide. RESULTS: For each health outcome from morbidity to mortality changes, the relative risks were estimated when the concentration of air particulate matter increased to some certain units. CONCLUSION: The exposure-response functions recommended here can be further applied to health risk assessment of air particulate matter in China.