Identifying sources of black carbon associated with high mortality risk in Beijing, China based on long-term hourly continuous measurements.

Traffic-derived black carbon is linked to the highest non-accidental mortality risk (RR: 1.014, 95% CI: 1.003, 1.025) in Beijing from 2016-2019.

• Why it matters: Understanding source-specific health risks of black carbon is crucial for designing effective air quality policies, as previous research mainly focused on total BC mass.
• What they did: Researchers conducted long-term source-specific BC mortality analyses using hourly PM 2.5 component data, PMF source apportionment, and mortality records in Beijing over four years, identifying key sources.
• The result: Coal control policies reduced coal BC by 40%, decreasing BC-related mortality, while non-coal sources like traffic, biomass burning, and aged BC accounted for 86% of BC-attributable deaths in 2019, informing targeted health policies.