IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i11p6693-d827897.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Sustained Exposure to Air Pollutant on the Mental Health: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Jin Sun

    (School of Humanities and Social Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China)

  • Chuntian Lu

    (School of Humanities and Social Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China)

  • Jinchen Xie

    (School of Humanities and Social Science, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi’an 710049, China)

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that poor mental health is particularly pronounced among Chinese residents, who are exposed to nearly the worst air pollution worldwide. However, the correlations between air pollutant concentration and mental health have not been consistently reported in previous studies. Methodologically speaking, a sufficiently rigorous design is required to demonstrate the causal relationship between the two factors. In this study, we aimed to infer the causal relationship between air pollutant concentration and mental health. In this panel research, the data were compiled through a combination of statistics from the China Family Panel Study, China Environmental Statistics Yearbook, World Meteorological Association, and China National Bureau of Statistics. Ultimately, this study enrolled 65,326 individuals whose mental health, air pollutant concentration, and other demographic information was available and robust. The RD design of this study utilizes the discontinuous variation in air pollutant concentrations and mental health as one crosses the Huai River boundary, which is an arbitrary heating policy that caused the difference in air pollutant concentrations between the north and south of China. In this study, we found that a 10 μg/m 3 increase in air pollutant concentrations (air particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM 10 )) leads to a 4.9-unit decrease in the mental health of the Chinese residents(coeff = 0.49, SD = 0.07, p < 0.05), equivalent to 36% of the average of Chinese residents. In the heterogeneity model, the impairment of mental health by air pollutant concentrations was more pronounced in male residents (coeff = 1.37, SD = 0.10, p < 0.05) compared to female residents (coeff = 0.42, SD = 0.04, p < 0.05) and smokers (compared to non-smokers). The robustness of the results is ensured by changing the RD bandwidth and polynomial order, and by two unique sensitivity analyses. The results indicate that air pollutant concentrations significantly impair the mental health of Chinese residents, which provides empirical evidence supporting the Chinese government’s decision to invest more in combating air pollution and ensuring the mental health of Chinese residents.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin Sun & Chuntian Lu & Jinchen Xie, 2022. "The Impact of Sustained Exposure to Air Pollutant on the Mental Health: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6693-:d:827897
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6693/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6693/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tao Xue & Tong Zhu & Yixuan Zheng & Qiang Zhang, 2019. "Author Correction: Declines in mental health associated with air pollution and temperature variability in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-1, December.
    2. Mullins, Jamie T. & White, Corey, 2019. "Temperature and mental health: Evidence from the spectrum of mental health outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Tao Xue & Tong Zhu & Yixuan Zheng & Qiang Zhang, 2019. "Declines in mental health associated with air pollution and temperature variability in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yue Hua & Yun Qiu & Xiaoqing Tan, 2023. "The effects of temperature on mental health: evidence from China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1293-1332, July.
    2. Xuefeng Li & Han Yang & Jin Jia, 2022. "Impact of energy poverty on cognitive and mental health among middle-aged and older adults in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Jinling Quan, 2019. "Multi-Temporal Effects of Urban Forms and Functions on Urban Heat Islands Based on Local Climate Zone Classification," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-35, June.
    4. André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König, 2023. "Do Individuals with High Climate Anxiety Believe That They Will Die Earlier? First Evidence from Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-8, March.
    5. Hania Rahimi-Ardabili & Thomas Astell-Burt & Phi-Yen Nguyen & Juan Zhang & Yu Jiang & Guang-Hui Dong & Xiaoqi Feng, 2021. "Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Angelina L. DeMarco & Rebecca Hardenbrook & Jeff Rose & Daniel L. Mendoza, 2020. "Air Pollution-Related Health Impacts on Individuals Experiencing Homelessness: Environmental Justice and Health Vulnerability in Salt Lake County, Utah," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Fangfang Hou & Xiao Han & Qiong Wang & Shuai Zhou & Jingya Zhang & Guodong Shen & Yan Zhang, 2022. "Cross-Sectional Associations between Living and Built Environments and Depression Symptoms among Chinese Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-12, May.
    8. Daqing Zu & Keyu Zhai & Yue Qiu & Pei Pei & Xiaoxian Zhu & Dongho Han, 2020. "The Impacts of Air Pollution on Mental Health: Evidence from the Chinese University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-15, September.
    9. Nicolas Barrantes & Jhonatan Clausen, 2022. "Does Multidimensional Poverty Affect Depression? Evidence from Peru," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(2), pages 107-129, April.
    10. Zhi Cao & Jingbo Zhou & Meng Li & Jizhou Huang & Dejing Dou, 2023. "Urbanites’ mental health undermined by air pollution," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 6(4), pages 470-478, April.
    11. Xie, Tingting & Yuan, Ye & Zhang, Hui, 2023. "Information, awareness, and mental health: Evidence from air pollution disclosure in China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Fabiani, Claudia & Gambucci, Marta & Chiatti, Chiara & Zampini, Giulia & Latterini, Loredana & Pisello, Anna Laura, 2022. "Towards field implementation of photoluminescence in the built environment for passive cooling and lighting energy efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    13. Lohmann, Paul M. & Gsottbauer, Elisabeth & You, Jing & Kontoleon, Andreas, 2023. "Air pollution and anti-social behaviour: Evidence from a randomised lab-in-the-field experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    14. Qiang Wen & Haiqiang Liu & Jinyuan Chen & Huiyao Ye & Zeyu Pan, 2023. "Evaluation of Satisfaction with the Built Environment of University Buildings under the Epidemic and Its Impact on Student Anxiety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-23, February.
    15. Iara da Silva & Caroline Fernanda Hei Wikuats & Elizabeth Mie Hashimoto & Leila Droprinchinski Martins, 2022. "Effects of Environmental and Socioeconomic Inequalities on Health Outcomes: A Multi-Region Time-Series Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-22, December.
    16. Fritz, Manuela, 2021. "Temperature and non-communicable diseases: Evidence from Indonesia's primary health care system," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-84-21, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    17. Yan Chen & Xiaohong Chen & Hongshan Ai & Xiaoqing Tan, 2022. "Temperature and Migration Intention: Evidence from the Unified National Graduate Entrance Examination in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-23, August.
    18. Frijters, Paul & Johnston, David W. & Knott, Rachel & Torgler, Benno, 2021. "Resilience to Disaster: Evidence from Daily Wellbeing Data," IZA Discussion Papers 14220, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Díaz, Juan-José & Saldarriaga, Victor, 2023. "A drop of love? Rainfall shocks and spousal abuse: Evidence from rural Peru," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    20. Jamie Mullins & Corey White, 2019. "Does Access to Health Care Mitigate Environmental Damages?," Working Papers 1905, California Polytechnic State University, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    PM 10 ; mental health; RD design;
    All these keywords.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6693-:d:827897. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.