The aim of this project was to enhance the understanding of the impact of air pollution on cardiopulmonary disease in residents in urban and peri-urban Beijing. The project period obtained detailed information on the current health status of the subjects, details of the personal exposure to air pollution and biosamples for biomarker analysis. This project addressed the following scientific objectives:
Objective 1: To establish two panels comprising of 125 subjects each from the PRC-USA and INTERMAP cohorts with the aim of reassessing seasonal differences in cardiopulmonary risk factors.
Objective 2: To use personal air pollution monitors to assess exposure to key health related pollutants and to assess exposure mis-classification when central monitor and/or modelled exposure estimates are made in inner and outer Beijing.
Objective 3: To assess the association between air pollution exposure and key cardiopulmonary measures.

In the last few decades China's rising energy requirements have led to increased air pollution emissions from coal-fired power plants. Its motorized transport growth is the fastest in the world with the number of motor vehicles projected to quadruple in the next two decades, reaching over 380 million by 2030. Meanwhile, nearly half of all Chinese still cook and heat their homes with highly polluting biomass and coal fuels. The resulting particulate matter (PM) concentrations in the majority of Chinese cities routinely exceed the World Health Organization's (WHO) annual Air Quality Guideline of 10 microgrammes/m3 by a factor of 10 or more. Epidemiologic studies undertaken in China increasingly confirm links between poor air quality and a range of health risks previously observed in the West. Moreover, they confirm that the number of Chinese that are vulnerable to air pollution is increasing, as evidenced by a large and growing burden of disease from chronic non-communicable diseases - such as ischemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer. Research to enhance the understanding of the impact of environmental exposures on human health is needed to influence both government policy on pollution and also individual behaviours.