The issue of air quality and lung cancer in China is more life-threatening than the SARS virus outbreak of 2003, according to a respiratory disease expert.
Dr. Zhong Nanshan, president of the China Medical Association, warned that the smog problem in China is “scarier than SARS,” while speaking at a plenary session in Beijing on March 5.
A respected respiratory disease specialist, Zhong won recognition a decade ago for leading the battle against SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
Zhong said that unlike SARS, which can be controlled through quarantine, smog affects everyone. “Whoever you are, you can’t escape from polluted air,” he said, according to China Youth Daily.
Zhong cited a World Health Organization air quality report showing that the island city of Haiko, with the cleanest air in China, still ranks only 1530th of the 1,802 cities listed worldwide. Zhong added that the report shows China’s lung cancer incidence is among the highest in the world, with 76 per 100,000 among males and 48 per 100,000 for females affected.
He said that these numbers vary greatly between regions with differing air qualities, as air pollution is linked with lung cancer rates in China. For example, he said, in urban Guangzhou, the incidence of lung cancer is about double that of surrounding rural areas, and Beijing shows the same pattern.
“If this pollution trend continues, the number of cancer patients will probably increase exponentially,” he said.
Zhong questioned the Communist Party’s policy of prioritizing gross domestic product (GDP), often at the cost of the environment. “Which is more important–GDP or health? At this point, it’s not a matter of looking after both issues. Currently, the component necessary for human survival has been seriously threatened,” he said. “The performance of local officials is typically evaluated based on the GDP growth in their jurisdictions. Starting today, officials’ achievements in curbing smog should also be included as a performance parameter.”
