Risk tradeoffs between nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollution during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Greater Bay area of China

Lin，Changqing1; Song，Yushan1,2; Louie，Peter K.K.1,3; Yuan，Zibing4; Li，Ying2; Tao，Minghui5; Li，Chengcai6; Fung，Jimmy C.H.1,7,8; Ning，Zhi1,8; Lau，Alexis K.H.1,8,9; Lao，Xiang Qian10

2022-10-01

10.1016/j.apr.2022.101549

Atmospheric Pollution Research   Impact Factor & Quartile

1309-1042

Photochemical regime for ozone (O) formation is complicated in the sense that reducing emission of nitrogen oxides (NO) may increase O concentration. The lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic affords a unique opportunity to use real observations to explore the O formation regime and the effectiveness of NO emission control strategies. In this study, observations from ground networks during the lockdowns were used to assess spatial disparity of the Ratio of Ozone Formation (ROF) for nitrogen dioxide (NO) reduction in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China. The health risk model from Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) system in Hong Kong was adopted to evaluate the risk tradeoffs between NO and O. Results show that the levels of O increase and NO reduction were comparable due to high ROF values in urban areas of central GBA. The ozone reactivity to NO reduction gradually declined outwards from central GBA. Despite the O increases, the NO emission controls reduced the Integrated Health Risk (IHR) of NO and O in most regions of the GBA. When risk coefficients from the AQHI in Canada or the global review were adopted in the risk analyses, the results are extremely encouraging because the controls of NO emission reduced the IHR of NO and O almost everywhere in the GBA. Our results underscore the importance of using a risk-based method to assess the effectiveness of emission control measures and the overall health benefit from NO emission controls in the GBA.

Emission Health risk Lockdowns Nitrogen dioxide Ozone

SCI

English

Others

Special Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy of Guangdong Province[2019B121205004];Key Program of NSFC-Tongyong Union Foundation[42161160329];Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee[GRF 16202120];Key Program of NSFC-Tongyong Union Foundation[N_HKUST638/19, N_HKUST609/21];Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee[T24/504/17];

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Environmental Sciences

WOS:000891617300002

TURKISH NATL COMMITTEE AIR POLLUTION RES & CONTROL-TUNCAP

2-s2.0-85137412505

Scopus

1.Division of Environment and Sustainability,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,Hong Kong,Hong Kong
2.Department of Ocean Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
3.Environmental Protection Department,Hong Kong Government SAR,Hong Kong,Hong Kong
4.School of Environment and Energy,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou,510006,China
5.Hubei Key Laboratory of Critical Zone Evolution,School of Geography and Information Engineering,China University of Geosciences,Wuhan,430074,China
6.Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences,School of Physics,Peking University,Beijing,100871,China
7.Department of Mathematics,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,Hong Kong,Hong Kong
8.Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Joint Laboratory of Collaborative Innovation for Environmental Quality,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,Hong Kong,Hong Kong
9.Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,Hong Kong,Hong Kong
10.Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care,The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong,Hong Kong

Lin，Changqing,Song，Yushan,Louie，Peter K.K.,et al. Risk tradeoffs between nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollution during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Greater Bay area of China[J]. Atmospheric Pollution Research,2022,13(10).

Lin，Changqing.,Song，Yushan.,Louie，Peter K.K..,Yuan，Zibing.,Li，Ying.,...&Lao，Xiang Qian.(2022).Risk tradeoffs between nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollution during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Greater Bay area of China.Atmospheric Pollution Research,13(10).

Lin，Changqing,et al."Risk tradeoffs between nitrogen dioxide and ozone pollution during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the Greater Bay area of China".Atmospheric Pollution Research 13.10(2022).