The current state of Chinese air pollution and the impact on the company (from the NKSJ-RM report) The top instructors teach how to use it.
Yousuke Haryu, Chief Consultant, Environmental Business Department, CSR/Environment Division
Introduction
Air pollution in China is getting worse. On February 4, 2013, the Chinese government announced that a quarter of the country was shrouded in thick fog containing toxic substances, and about 600 million people were affected by air pollution. In particular, pollution in Beijing has become serious, with health hazards, closure of highways and airports, suspension of production at factories and suspension of construction work. The Japanese embassy in China has warned Japanese residents in China that "elderly people and people with lung or heart disease are at higher risk of air pollution and need to be especially careful." .
In this report, based on the situation as of February 14, we have summarized the current situation of air pollution in China, the impact on local companies and Japan, and precautions against health hazards.
1. Causes of Air Pollution
The main cause of air pollution in China this time is PM2.5, a fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm (micrometer) or less (1 μm is 1/1000 mm). It is about 1/10 the size of pollen (about 30 μm) and about 1/20 to 1/60 the thickness of human hair (50-150 μm).
Figure 1 Size of PM2.5 (*1)
(*1) Bureau of Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan Government. “What is particulate matter (PM2.5)?” http://www.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/air/air_pollution/PM2.5/about.html, Date: February 12, 2013)Since PM2.5 is much smaller than suspended particulate matter (SPM/PM10: 10 μm or less), which is considered to be the cause of air pollution, Furthermore, it is said to have a large impact on the human body, such as invading blood vessels, causing asthma, bronchitis, lung cancer, heart disease, etc. to develop or worsen, and increase the risk of death.
A 2012 study by Peking University estimated that 8,000 people died annually from PM2.5 in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xi'an, and a 2007 study by the World Bank and the Ministry of Environmental Protection found that Air pollution, mainly PM10, is estimated to kill 350,000 to 400,000 people a year across China (*2). The Embassy of Japan in China has warned Japanese residents in China that "the elderly and those with lung or heart disease are at higher risk of air pollution and should be especially careful." ing. In addition, according to a study by the same university and others, the economic loss caused by PM2.5 last year reached 1 billion dollars (*3).
PM2.5 is classified into natural emissions such as soil dust, volcanic eruptions, yellow sand, and anthropogenic emissions from factories, automobiles, and ships. It is mainly anthropogenic emissions from factories, power plants, automobiles, coal for boilers and heating, and industrial spray volatilization such as paints that cause serious damage in China. In addition to primary particles emitted directly from the source, there are secondary particles generated from gas components (VOC, NOx, SOx, etc.) by photochemical reactions in the atmosphere.
In addition to the increase in the burning of coal for heating, the reason why air pollution has become more serious since the beginning of 2013 is that this winter has been sunny and radiative cooling has occurred, resulting in high humidity air near the surface. It is believed that this is because the air became saturated, the wind stopped, and the weather stabilized, preventing the diffusion of pollutants. In addition, the damage is exacerbated by the fact that Beijing is a basin, which makes it easy for air to stagnate.
(*2) Embassy of Japan in China. “Air Pollution in Beijing (January 14, 2013)”, http://www.cn.emb-japan.go.jp/consular_j/ joho130114_j.htm, (accessed February 12, 2013) (*3) Sankei News, January 14, 2013
2. Current status of air pollution in China
Peak PM2.5 concentrations in Beijing peaked on January 12 and 13, just before this report was written (January to February 10, 2013), and the observed value was 0.9mg/m3 for the first time ever. reached. This figure is about 26 times the Japanese environmental standard (0.035 mg/m3 daily average) and 20 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for air quality necessary to maintain health. . It is also a value that greatly exceeds the upper limit of 0.5 mg/m3 of the AQI (Air Quality Index), which indicates the degree of air pollution. Even in China, where air pollution is chronically occurring, the situation is at the worst level, with values exceeding the upper limit of AQI (0.5mg/m3) being observed for several days from January to February. Table 1 shows each country's environmental standards and WHO guidelines for PM2.5. The WHO states that reaching 3.5 times the guideline value increases the long-term risk of death by 15%. Compared to these, it can be seen that the current air pollution in China is extremely serious.
Table 1 Environmental standards and WHO guidelines for PM2.5 in each country (*4)
Annual average | Daily average | |
China | 0.35mg/m3 | 0.075mg/m3 |
Japan/United States | 0.015mg/m3 | 0.035mg/m3 |
WHO guidance | 0.01mg/m3 | 0.025mg/m3 |
(Note) China used to only have environmental standards for PM10, but in February 2012, it announced new environmental standards for PM2.5. , to be enforced nationwide from January 2016. Observation started in 2012 in priority areas such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, municipalities under direct control, and provincial capitals.
(*4) Consulate General of Japan in Shenyang. “Air Pollution in China (January 30, 2013)”, http://www.shenyang.cn.emb-japan.go.jp/ Created by our company based on jp/connection/security/taikiosen_2013_01_30.pdf, (accessed February 12, 2013)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Air Quality Index (AQI), which quantifies the state of air pollution from 0 to 500, as an indicator of the degree of air pollution, and is widely used around the world. It is The higher the AQI value, the more polluted it is. China also created an Air Pollution Index (API) similar to AQI, which stipulates the relationship between the Air Pollution Index and the health concern level according to PM2.5 concentration (Table 2).
Table 2 Relationship between Air Quality Index (AQI)/Air Pollution Index (API) and PM2.5 concentration
(*5)
(Note) Since China and the United States have different environmental standards, the evaluation of the index is partly different even for the same pollution concentration.
Each country's government-affiliated agencies such as the EPA measure and publish AQIs around the world, and even in China, the US Embassy in China publishes Beijing's AQI in real time (Beijing Air: Pollution information on Twitter). there is In addition, there are many websites that provide information on air pollution conditions. It is possible to collect. Our website is available in Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. Figure 2 shows the AQIs disclosed at Insdio on February 14th. Tangshan City in Hebei Province has 603, exceeding the upper limit of 500 shown in Table 4, and the seriousness of China's air pollution is also evident here. There is also an application that allows you to know the real-time air pollution situation on your smartphone.
(*5) Embassy of Japan in China. “Air Pollution in Beijing”, http://www.cn.emb-japan.go.jp/consular_j/joho120217_j.htm, Accessed: 2013 12 February) and AIRNOW. “Air Quality Index (AQI) - A Guide to Air Quality and Your Health., http://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi#haz, (accessed Date: February 12, 2013) (AIRNOW website is operated by EPA.)
Fig. 2 Homepage screen of a website that displays the Air Quality Index (AQI) in real time (*6)
(*6) Insdio.“Beijing AQI, PM2.5 Real-time Air Pollution Index”, http://www.aqicn.info/, (accessed on February 13, 2013)
3. Impact on companies expanding into China
The impact of Chinese air pollution is spreading to Japanese companies operating in China. China's air pollution is increasing the risk of Japanese companies entering the country.
On January 29, the Beijing Municipal Government ordered more than 120 manufacturers, including Japanese companies, to stop operations or reduce production, and suspended construction work in more than 360 locations (*7).
TOTO Corporation (Kitakyushu City) suspended operations at its sanitary ware production plant for three days until January 31st. The company had been operating under Japanese environmental standards, but the city government appears to have instructed all factories of a certain size to suspend operations. Initially, it was scheduled to be suspended until February 1, but due to the improvement of air pollution on the 1st due to the effects of strong winds, etc., it was allowed to resume operations on that day (*8). The city government is ready to ask companies to stop production if pollution worsens in the future.
Also, according to a Chinese newspaper reported on February 5 (*10), ``Beijing has ordered factories that emit high concentrations of pollutants to close, suspend production, and impose fines. The Beijing Municipal People's Congress (local assembly) will set out to formulate an air pollution control ordinance, and it will be adopted at the end of the year." This move may spread to other local governments as well.
The Beijing Municipal Economic and Information Commission plans to shut down 200 companies that emit a significant amount of pollutant gas within the year and to remodel 500-ton class coal-fired boilers in the city development zone as a measure against air pollution. are doing. The 200 companies targeted for closure are concentrated in Fangshan, Haidian, Fengtai and Daxing districts. By industry, construction materials, chemical industry, casting, electroplating, etc. are concentrated, of which 75% is construction materials and about 15% is chemical industry. In accordance with the emergency countermeasures against pollution in the industrial sector in Beijing, the committee normalized a system of suspending operations and restricting production at key companies that are sources of pollution. Focusing on PM2.5 control, Beijing also launched the 2012-2020 Industrial Air Pollution Control Action Plan and the Guidance Catalog for Enterprises withdrawing from High Pollution Industries. By 2015, the city plans to close 1,200 polluting companies in sectors such as foundry, chemical industry and wooden furniture manufacturing(*11). Companies in industries that fall under these categories, or companies that have business relationships with them, need to pay close attention to trends.
Japanese companies operating in China send dust masks that block PM2.5, which is becoming difficult to obtain locally, from Japan to China, and install high-performance air purifiers compatible with PM2.5. In addition, they are busy with measures such as formulating guidelines for business trips and outings.
(*7) Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition, January 31, 2013 (*8) Saga Shimbun, February 3, 2013 (*9) Saga Shimbun, February 3, 2013 (*10) ) Nihon Keizai Shimbun Electronic Edition, February 6, 2013 (*11) Xinhua News (Xinhua Economy), February 7, 2013
4. Expanding business opportunities due to worsening air pollution
In China, where air pollution is becoming more serious, the size of the air purifier market is estimated to have doubled from about 500,000 units in 2010 to about 1 million units in 2012. (*12). Especially since January 2013, when air pollution became serious, the pace of increase accelerated, and the number of air purifiers sold in January increased 2.2 times compared to the previous year. Among them, the number of sales of air purifiers made in Japan has increased significantly. In terms of sales volume in January, the second largest market share, Panasonic Corporation, doubled from the same month of the previous year, the fourth largest, Sharp Corporation, tripled, and Daikin Industries Co., Ltd., with a combined market share of 3.6. was 40% in 2012 and is still growing rapidly(*13). In response to this, Panasonic's local subsidiary increased the operating rate of its air purifier production line by 1.5 times at its factory in Shunde, Guangdong Province, and Sharp also started increasing production of air purifiers at its factory in Shanghai. . On the other hand, the local Chinese brand "Ato", which boasted a market share of over 50% until 2009, has fallen to about 15% in 2012.
Made-in-Japan products continue to be highly evaluated in fields related to "health" and "peace of mind," such as air purifiers and cosmetics.
(*12) Sankei Shimbun, February 8, 2013 (*13) Business Journal, February 8, 2013 (*14) Business Journal, February 8, 2013
5. Precautions when air pollution is serious
In response to the worsening air pollution, the Japanese Embassy in Beijing held a "lecture on air pollution" for Japanese residing in China on February 6th. More than 200 people from Japanese companies and family members applied for the 150-seat capacity, and the high level of interest was evident in the sudden increase in the number of events to two (*15).
In the above lecture, the following measures are listed to protect yourself from air pollution.
①Reduce exposure to contamination as much as possible. (Avoid non-essential outings on highly contaminated days.) (2) Thoroughly wash your hands and gargle after returning home. (3) Install an air purifier (Indoor pollution levels can reach half that of the outdoors. Install in rooms where you spend a lot of time, such as bedrooms.) (4) Close doors and windows, and block airflow. ⑤ Wear a mask when you go out. (Masks with the standard "N95" block more than 95% of PM2.5. They are sold at hospitals, pharmacies, and shopping sites (search for "Kouhei N95").)
Also, at the "Life Safety Seminar" co-sponsored by the Japanese Association of Beijing and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China last year, the following measures were taken.
① Avoid going out on highly contaminated days and reduce the time you go out as much as possible. (2) Shift from vigorous exercise to light exercise. (3) Avoid roadside areas with heavy traffic. (4) It is desirable for schools and kindergartens to change outdoor activities and physical education curricula according to the state of air pollution. (Outdoor activities/exercises have been reduced or canceled since January at the Beijing Japanese School)
(*15) Kyodo News, February 6, 2013
6. Impact on Japan and response of national and local governments
Since February 2013, there have been many reports in Japan about air pollution in China, and there is widespread concern that air pollutants from China will be blown to Japan on the wind. In response to such concerns, the Ministry of the Environment is promoting the following measures.
(1) "Ministry of the Environment Wide-Area Monitoring System for Air Pollutants (Soramame-kun)" (http://soramame.taiki.go.jp/) publishes observation values of air pollutants in various places, but PM2. The number of observation points for five concentrations will be increased to 1,300 by the end of fiscal 2013, and monitoring will be strengthened (planned). According to the Ministry of the Environment, the PM2.5 concentration in Fukuoka City in January was "slightly high", and there were 24 and 30 cases that exceeded Japan's daily average environmental standard value of 0.035mg/m3. , was the 3rd of the 31st (*16). As of February 14, access to "Soramame-kun" is concentrated, making it difficult to connect.
②PM2.5 concentrations are being monitored at about 550 local governments nationwide, but only about 40% provide data to the Ministry of the Environment website. Therefore, for the purpose of monitoring air pollutants flying from China and conducting detailed situation analysis, local governments are requested to provide observation data on PM2.5 concentrations.
(3) We will set up a "Local Government Liaison Committee on PM2.5" that gathers ordinance-designated cities, etc., and discuss sharing observation data and strengthening the observation system.
(4) The newly established Expert Meeting on Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) (chaired by Professor Emeritus Iwao Uchiyama of Kyoto University) was held on February 13th and 18th. It was confirmed that a provisional guideline for warnings such as refraining from ventilation will be compiled by the end of the month.
On the other hand, in Kyushu, which is geographically close to China, each prefecture is strengthening its system of providing information to residents. In addition to Saga Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture (and Yamaguchi Prefecture), which have been reporting PM2.5 density measurement results on their websites, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture, and Miyazaki Prefecture will start measuring PM2.5 density from February. We started publishing on our website. Oita, Nagasaki, and Okinawa prefectures are also making preparations, and it is expected that early warnings will be ready in all of Kyushu in the near future.
Fukuoka Prefecture had previously installed PM2.5 concentration measuring devices at six locations in Fukuoka City and announced them on the prefectural website. A measuring device has been installed, and the measured data has been updated every hour on the prefectural website since February 5. Furthermore, Fukuoka City has announced a policy to start its own air pollution forecast this summer. Kitakyushu City also announced that it will increase the number of monitoring points for PM2.5 concentration from 3 to 7.
Even in Tokyo, in response to inquiries about air pollution in China, the Bureau of the Environment is sending daily measurements of PM2.5 concentrations in Tokyo on Twitter (@tochokankyo).
(*16) Sankei News, February 3, 2013
7. Precautions in Japan
The Ministry of the Environment is calling for a calm response, as the amount of air pollutants coming into China is not at a level that will immediately affect health.
On the other hand, Kyushu University Associate Professor Toshihiko Takemura, who specializes in atmospheric environment studies, pointed out that "transboundary pollution (from China) is not a new phenomenon, but is increasing." Although the concentration is less than one-tenth that of China, it does not mean that there is nothing to worry about.On days when the concentration is high, people with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases should take measures such as refraining from going out. ”(*17).
Therefore, it is desirable to obtain the latest information on air pollution from various sources in Japan as well.
Associate Professor Takemura of Kyushu University has developed and released "SPRINTARS" (Spectral Radiation-Transport Model for Aerosol Species), which can simulate the effects of airborne particulate matter and the state of air pollution on a global scale (Fig. 3).
(*17) Iwate Nippo morning edition, quoted from February 2, 2013
Fig. 3 Screen of aerosol diffusion prediction of diffusion simulation by airborne particulate matter (SPRINTARS)
(*18)
(*18) SPRINTARS.“SPRINTARS Aerosol Prediction (Simplified Version) Air Pollution Particle Prediction (Video)”.Toshihiko Takemura (Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University), http://sprintars.riam.kyushu-u.ac .jp/,, (accessed February 14, 2013)
In addition, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, in the environmental information media "Environmental Observatory", forecasts and publishes the concentration of "man-made fine particles" in East Asia including Japan for two days. (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 Broad-area air pollution map of East Asia/Predicted concentration distribution map of yellow sand and air pollutants (near the ground) (*19)
As can be seen in Figure 4, anthropogenic microparticles have reached Japan, and PM2.5 exceeding environmental standards has been measured in various places. In the coming season (from spring to early summer), it is expected that the amount of PM2.5 carried to Japan by a migratory high pressure system moving from west to east will increase.
As announced by the Ministry of the Environment, the immediate impact on health is thought to be small, but companies protect their lives and health from danger so that they can work safely. We have an obligation to consider If information on air pollution (and an "alert" scheduled by the Ministry of the Environment to be issued in the future) raises concerns about the health hazards of employees in Japan as well, companies should take precautions against respiratory and circulatory organs. It is required to take appropriate safety measures, such as issuing instructions and orders to employees with chronic illnesses to refrain from working outdoors and going out.
(*19) National Institute for Environmental Studies. "Environmental Observatory: Prediction of Yellow Sand and Air Pollutant Concentrations - Wide Area Air Pollution Map of East Asia". http://envgis5.nies.go.jp/eastasia /ConcentrationMap1.php , (accessed 14 February 2013)
Conclusion
This report has described the current state of air pollution in China. At the time of writing this report (February 14, 2013), it was the Lunar New Year holiday period (February 9 to 15), and air pollution levels were relatively low due to factory closures. It seems that After the Lunar New Year holidays, PM2.5 emissions will increase due to the resumption of economic activities, and there is a possibility that air pollution will become even more serious. In addition, from March to May, westerly winds are strong and yellow dust hits Japan. It is predicted that PM2.5 will fly to Japan together with yellow dust, so it will be necessary to pay attention to the air pollution situation in China in the future.
[Author] Yosuke Hariu NKSJ Risk Management Co., Ltd. CSR/Environment Headquarters Environmental Business Department Chief Consultant
[Inquiries regarding this report] NKSJ Risk Management Co., Ltd. CSR/Environment Headquarters Environmental Business Department 1-24-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 TEL: 03-3349-5973
Reprinted from: NKSJ Risk Management Co., Ltd. NKSJ-RM Report 83 NKSJ Risk Management Co., Ltd.