The Standards for Drinking Water Quality of China(2022 Edition)Will Take Effect

Safe drinking water is a valuable public health resource that affects people’s livelihood and is essential for human health,making it an international concern for drinking water quality improvement.The Standards for Drinking Water Quality of China(China SDWQ)is a legal document approved and issued by the Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China that serves as a starting point for protecting public health and ensuring the quality of human life.There are three versions of China SDWQ,including the 1985 edition,2006 edition,and 2022 edition.China SDWQ(2022 edition)sets a wide variety of indices covering biological,chemical,physical,and other risk factors in drinking water.Additionally,it establishes management requirements for the entire water supply process,providing a technical basis and criteria for ensuring drinking water safety and a scientific basis for developing drinking water safety policies and proposing targeted public health protection measures.

Declines in Blood Lead Levels Among General Population-China,2000–2018

What is already known about this topic?Environmental and occupational lead exposure has generally declined in the past two decades.However,there is no large-scale monitoring of blood lead levels(BLLs)in the Chinese general population.What is added by this report?This nationally representative study showed declines of BLLs in all ages of participants;for children aged 3–5 years,down from 78.1μg/L to 16.9μg/L,corresponding to 78.4%decrease in the past two decades(2000–2018).What are the implications for public health practice?Recommendations for elevated BLLs on screening children at high risk now need to be revisited and updated from 100μg/L to 50μg/L in guidelines to conform with the substantial declines in China.

Baseline Investigation on Residential PM_(2.5) Pollution of General Living Scenarios--12 Cities,China,2018

What is already known about this topic?Residential air pollution can cause a large disease burden,and residential air quality is directly influenced by residential fine particulate matter(PM_(2.5)).Residential PM_(2.5) pollution is of critical concern in China given that the characteristics and influencing factors of residential PM_(2.5) in China are not clear.What is added by this report?This study focuseed on residential PM_(2.5) concentration of 12 cities with the on-site investigation in 2018,and provided the latest characteristics and potential influencing factors of residential PM_(2.5) under general living scenarios in China.What are the implications for public health practice?This study suggested that the control of residential PM_(2.5) pollution should be reinforced with revised indoor air quality standards under obvious spatial diversity.

Effects of Cold Spells on Mortality — Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, China, 2014–2018

Summary What is already known about this topic?In recent years,climate change may lead to an increase in cold spells in the middle latitudes,and there is a positive correlation between cold spells and population mortality.What is added by this report?The acute response period and the vulnerable population were identified under the optimal definition of cold spells,and the mortality burden caused by cold spells were estimated.What are the implications for public health practice?This research would provide evidence on the acute mortality effects of cold spells in southern China.Therefore,vulnerable populations,especially the elderly,should take timely measures to reduce the health damage caused by cold spells,especially in the first week after cold waves.

Independent and Interactive Effects of Environmental Conditions on Aerosolized Surrogate SARS-CoV-2-Beijing,China,June to September 2020

Summary What is already known about this topic?Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity play important roles in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)via droplets/aerosols.What is added by this report?Higher relative humidity(61%–80%),longer spreading time(120 min),and greater dispersal distance(1 m)significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus loads.There was an interaction effect between relative humidity and spreading time.What are the implications for public health practice?The findings contribute to our understanding of the impact of environmental factors on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via airborne droplets/aerosols.

Healthy Environment Promotion Campaign in Healthy China Initiative

On July 15,2019,the State Council of China issued new guidelines for the implementation of the country’s Healthy China Initiative(2019–2030)and for the promotion of population health across the nation.This article interprets Healthy Environment Promotion Campaign(HEPC)in the Healthy China Initiative from four main aspects—background,major indices,strategies,and features.Two outcome indices and four advocacy indices are proposed by the HEPC,and the strategies are mainly embodied at three levels:individual/family,society and government.The strategies have the following features:1)the strategies are developed on the basis of scientific evidence;2)the strategies advocate that citizens must be responsible for their own health;3)the administrative impetus provided by the Chinese government to integrate health into all policies is an important driver for developing and implementing the HEPC;and 4)HEPC is not an isolated campaign,so it is necessary to coordinate all 15 campaigns in order to proactively and properly implement HEPC.

Assessment of Regional Health Vulnerability to Extreme Heat--China,2019

What is already known on this topic?The health risk caused by high-temperatures depends on the interaction between high temperature exposure and the sensitivity and adaptability of the affected populations.What is added by this report?A comprehensive assessment model was established by principal component analysis using the data of 19 cities,15 provincial-level administrative divisions and used to identify regional characteristics and major influencing factors of health vulnerability to extreme heat in China.What are the implications for public health practice?The results of the health vulnerability assessment could effectively identify the regions highly vulnerable to extreme heat in China and provide scientific evidence for the development of adaptive measures and resource allocation plans.