Economic Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction for Children

Elaine M. Faustman, Ph.D.
University of Washington
P01ES09601

Background: The health effects of air pollution have been reported in many research studies over the past 30 years. These effects include mortality, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and hospitalizations, changes in lung function, asthma attacks, and days lost from school and work. The need for cost-benefit analyses of environmental regulations has become increasingly important in the United States to warrant the high costs. Children are significantly affected by air quality; however, previous environmental regulation has not focused effects seen exclusively in children. These researchers used a meta-analysis approach to determine the child-specific health impacts derived from the U.S. Clean Air Act.

Advance: The researchers determined, based on data from published studies, that reductions in the criteria air pollutants (particulate matter, ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead) predicted to occur by 2010 in response to Clean Air Act regulations would have the following impacts: "200 fewer expected cases of postneonatal mortality; 10,000 fewer asthma hospitalizations . . . with estimated benefits ranging from $20 million to $46 million (1990 U.S.$); 40,000 fewer emergency department visits in children . . . with estimated benefits ranging from $1.3 to $5.8 million; 20 million school absences avoided . . . with estimated benefits of $0.7 to $1.8 billion; and 10,000 fewer infants of low birth weight, with estimated benefits of $230 million." Including the child-specific data "would be expected to add $1-2 billion to the $8 billion in health benefits currently estimated to result from decreased morbidity, and $600 million to the $100 billion estimated to result from decreased mortality."

Implication: The results of this study suggest that air pollution represents a significant burden to the health of children in the U.S. The authors state that their estimates of health benefits are conservative and conclude that these estimates highlight the need for increased consideration of children's health effects in environmental regulation. They also point out that improved information for children's health effects and health economics are needed for more thorough environmental policy analyses.

Citation: Wong EY, Gohlke J, Griffith WC, Farrow S, Faustman EM. Assessing the health benefits of air pollution reductions for children. Environ Health Perspect. 2004 Feb; 112(2):226-32.