Years of Life Lost (YLL) Due to Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Background: Years of life lost (YLL) as a surrogate of health is important for supporting ambient air pollution related policy decisions. However, there has been little comprehensive evaluation of the short-term impact of air pollution on cause-specific YLL, especially in China. Hence in this study, we selected China as sentinel region in order to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate disease-specific YLL due to all the main ambient air pollutants. (2) Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate disease-specific YLL due to the main ambient air pollutants in China, and 19 studies were included. We conducted methodological quality and risk of bias assessment for each included study as well as for heterogeneity and publication bias. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also performed. (3) Results: Meta-analysis indicated that increases in PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and NO2 were associated with 1.99-5.84 years increase in YLL from non-accidental diseases. The increase in YLL to cardiovascular disease (CVD) was associated with PM10 and NO2, and the increase in YLL to respiratory diseases (RD) was associated with PM10. (4) Conclusions: Ambient air pollution was observed to be associated with several cause-specific YLL, increasing especially for elderly people and females.