In recent years, air pollution incidents in China have attracted much attention. In 2016, a review authored by Academician Zhong Nanshan’s team on the impacts of air pollution of China to chronic respiratory disease was published on the journal Lancet, which aroused extensive discussion and attention in China.

The team argued that recent literature reported that NO2 and water were both involved in the formation of the haze rich in sulfate (such as ammonium sulfate). The analytical research of particles indicated that the contribution of motor vehicle exhaust was high. Yet these facts were still insufficient to indicate that the formation of heavy haze of China in the winter should be attributed to the emission of motor vehicle exhaust. We should put aside the disputes on the source of air pollutants, and try to reduce the artificial discharge of pollutants through different channels. Suspending the short-term production of heavy industry with the aid of administrative means is a typical means of “addressing the symptoms rather than the root cause”.

The paper’s team members include associate research fellow Guan Weijie (the first author), Dr. Zheng Xueyan (Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention) and Academician Zhong Nanshan (the corresponding author). The bibliography of the paper:Guan WJ, Zheng XY, Zhong NS. Industrial pollutant emission and the major smog in China: from debates to action.Lancet Planetary Health. 2017; 2: e57