At least 16 dead following catastrophic flooding in western China

18 people remain missing following late-night flooding and heavy rain that triggered landslides and turned a mountainous region in China into a deadly flash flood. Heavy rainfall produced catastrophic flooding in the western Chinese province of Qinghai, killing 16 people while at least 18 others remain missing, Chinese state media reported on Thursday. The sudden onset of severe downpours late Wednesday evening over a mountainous region in Qinghai triggered landslides, and the raging water diverted rivers that resulted in flash flooding in a populated area late Wednesday night. According to the state broadcaster CCTV, more than 6,000 people in six villages were immediately affected. The flash flooding was described as a "mountain torrent," according to emergency officials, The Associated Press reported. Occurring after a heavy downpour in higher elevations, mountain In a video shared online of the aftermath, partially washed away roads that were covered in debris, uprooted trees and overturned cars could be seen, the AP reported. According to Reuters, a rescue team of 2,000 people and 160 disaster relief vehicles have been sent to the area by the local government. Rescuers, who earlier reported 36 people missing, had found 18 of them by early Thursday afternoon, CCTV said in an online update. Through the rest of the week, temperatures will be in the 70s to low 80s, and more showers and thunderstorms are expected in Datong County, which was the epicenter of the flooding in Qinghai Province.torrents result when water running down turns gullies or streams into raging rivers, often catching people by surprise.

Flood damage in Qinghai province in northwestern China on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. (Reuters) In a video shared online of the aftermath, partially washed away roads that were covered in debris, uprooted trees and overturned cars could be seen, the AP reported. According to Reuters, a rescue team of 2,000 people and 160 disaster relief vehicles have been sent to the area by the local government. Rescuers, who earlier reported 36 people missing, had found 18 of them by early Thursday afternoon, CCTV said in an online update. Through the rest of the week, temperatures will be in the 70s to low 80s, and more showers and thunderstorms are expected in Datong County, which was the epicenter of the flooding in Qinghai Province. This has been the summer of extremes for China, which has been grappling with historic floods, heat waves and droughts across the country. In late June, as rivers overflowed, a historic flood brought devastation to the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi across central and southern China, which displaced tens of thousands of people.

Residents walk with umbrellas near a puddle during a rainy day in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) Currently, the worst heat wave in six decades is roasting a large swath of central China, sending temperatures 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. This comes just a month after Shanghai, the most populated city in China, endured a dangerous heat wave, which sent temperatures past the century mark. According to the China Meteorological Administration, more than a third of the weather stations across the country have recorded extreme heat this summer, Al Jazeera reported. At least 262 stations reached or surpassed previous records. The Ministry of Finance said on Thursday that they have allocated 420 million yuan ($61.83 million) of emergency funds for local governments to provide food and drought relief as the country continues to grapple with extreme weather, according to Al Jazeera.

Dramatic health benefits following air pollution reduction

Dramatic health benefits following air pollution reduction

Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

The study by the Environmental Committee of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) reviewed interventions that have reduced air pollution at its source. It looked for outcomes and time to achieve those outcomes in several settings, finding that the improvements in health were striking. Starting at week one of a ban on smoking in Ireland, for example, there was a 13 percent drop in all-cause mortality, a 26 percent reduction in ischemic heart disease, a 32 percent reduction in stroke, and a 38 percent reduction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Interestingly, the greatest benefits in that case occurred among non-smokers.

"We knew there were benefits from pollution control, but the magnitude and relatively short time duration to accomplish them were impressive," said lead author of the report, Dean Schraufnagel, MD, ATSF. "Our findings indicate almost immediate and substantial effects on health outcomes followed reduced exposure to air pollution. It's critical that governments adopt and enforce WHO guidelines for air pollution immediately."

In the United States, a 13-month closure of a steel mill in Utah resulted in reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia, pleurisy, bronchitis and asthma by half. School absenteeism decreased by 40 percent, and daily mortality fell by 16 percent for every 100 ?g/m3 PM10 (a pollutant) decrease. Women who were pregnant during the mill closing were less likely to have premature births.

A 17-day "transportation strategy," in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Olympic Games involved closing parts of the city to help athletes make it to their events on time, but also greatly decreased air pollution. In the following four weeks, children's visits for asthma to clinics dropped by more than 40 percent and trips to emergency departments by 11 percent. Hospitalizations for asthma decreased by 19 percent. Similarly, when China imposed factory and travel restrictions for the Beijing Olympics, lung function improved within two months, with fewer asthma-related physician visits and less cardiovascular mortality.

In addition to city-wide polices, reducing air pollution within the home also led to health benefits. In Nigeria, families who had clean cook stoves that reduced indoor air pollution during a nine-month pregnancy term saw higher birthweights, greater gestational age at delivery, and less perinatal mortality.

The report also examines the impact of environmental policies economically. It highlights that 25 years after enactment of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. EPA estimated that the health benefits exceeded the cost by 32:1, saving 2 trillion dollars, and has been heralded as one of the most effective public health policies of all time in the United States. Emissions of the major pollutants (particulate matter [PM], sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and lead) were reduced by 73 percent between 1990 and 2015 while the U.S. gross domestic product grew by more than 250 percent.

Given these findings, Dr. Schraufnagel has hope. "Air pollution is largely an avoidable health risk that affects everyone. Urban growth, expanding industrialization, global warming, and new knowledge of the harm of air pollution raise the degree of urgency for pollution control and stress the consequences of inaction," he says. "Fortunately, reducing air pollution can result in prompt and substantial health gains. Sweeping policies affecting a whole country can reduce all-cause mortality within weeks. Local programs, such as reducing traffic, have also promptly improved many health measures."

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Materials provided by American Thoracic Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.