1.What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project? The focus of the study is centered on Urban Shanghai. They are of interest due to their heavy urban environment and reputation for poor outdoor and indoor air quality. 2.What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health? The research group is a collaboration between the Department of Environmental Health, the School of Public Health, and Fudan University. Their research aims to influence environmental policy by assessing the economic burden using their own equation to calculate one final quantitative estimate. This method of an economic approach towards environmental policy has proven effective when pushing new legislation. 3.What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed? Most of the important events referenced in this study are citations to other studies that highlight data collected on economic burdens throughout China. One example is from 1999 about missing research methods published by the US EPA. 4.Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches? Their approach is strictly mathematical which separates them from the typical qualitative results found in similar studies on the burdens of air pollution. The technical aspect really helps establish credibility when pushing for environmental policies and government intervention. 5.What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created? The data included the following figures: Health effects due to particulate air pollution, Attributable number of cases due to particulate air pollution in urban area of Shanghai in 2001, Unit values of various endpoints in Shanghai (in US$), and Estimated economic cost of health impacts due to particulate air pollution in urban area of Shanghai in 2001 (in million US$). 6.What research has the organization produce or drawon on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade? N/A (2001 study) 7.What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care? Mathematical theory/ economics 8.What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma? This research group falls within the academic and governmental environment. 9.What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health? Emerging studies on the worsening air pollution throughout China seemed to drive the study. 10.What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health? I assume that the funding comes from research grants from the Department of Environmental Health. 11.What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health? As a university study the history of the group is dependent on the authors of this particular study. 12.What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health? The lack of economic methods when assessing environmental issues is the most challenging aspect to deal with. 13.What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health? Governance specifically on indoor air pollution quality standards are called for within this study. 14.How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization? The asthma files can use these environmental engineering methods as well as the economic models to assess other environmental issues and gain a different type of results when studying asthma.
1. What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
The focus of the study is centered on Urban Shanghai. They are of interest due to their heavy urban environment and reputation for poor outdoor and indoor air quality.
2. What have they done – through research, or a public health program or education forum, for example-- that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
The research group is a collaboration between the Department of Environmental Health, the School of Public Health, and Fudan University. Their research aims to influence environmental policy by assessing the economic burden using their own equation to calculate one final quantitative estimate. This method of an economic approach towards environmental policy has proven effective when pushing new legislation.
3. What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
Most of the important events referenced in this study are citations to other studies that highlight data collected on economic burdens throughout China. One example is from 1999 about missing research methods published by the US EPA.
4. Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
Their approach is strictly mathematical which separates them from the typical qualitative results found in similar studies on the burdens of air pollution. The technical aspect really helps establish credibility when pushing for environmental policies and government intervention.
5. What data have they collected or used to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualizations of this data have been created?
The data included the following figures: Health effects due to particulate air pollution, Attributable number of cases due to particulate air pollution in urban area of Shanghai in 2001, Unit values of various endpoints in Shanghai (in US$), and Estimated economic cost of health impacts due to particulate air pollution in urban area of Shanghai in 2001 (in million US$).
6. What research has the organization produce or drawon on in their initiatives – in the last year, and over the last decade?
N/A (2001 study)
7. What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
Mathematical theory/ economics
8. What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
This research group falls within the academic and governmental environment.
9. What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
Emerging studies on the worsening air pollution throughout China seemed to drive the study.
10. What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
I assume that the funding comes from research grants from the Department of Environmental Health.
11. What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
As a university study the history of the group is dependent on the authors of this particular study.
12. What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
The lack of economic methods when assessing environmental issues is the most challenging aspect to deal with.
13. What kinds of governance are (implicitly or explicitly) called for in the way they think about environmental health?
Governance specifically on indoor air pollution quality standards are called for within this study.
14. How can The Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
The asthma files can use these environmental engineering methods as well as the economic models to assess other environmental issues and gain a different type of results when studying asthma.