Aug 2026· Environmental Research· pp.
125501
· 0 citations· 44 references
Medicine
Abstract
China has invested heavily in air pollution control in recent years, yet comprehensive assessments of the associated health economic benefits remain limited. Prior research on the health economic benefits of air pollution control has mainly focused on mortality outcomes and PM2.5, which may substantially underestimates the true benefits of clean air policies. This study aims to evaluate the health economic benefits and losses associated with air pollution control by incorporating multiple health outcomes, population groups and air pollutants. We integrate daily mortality, hospital admission and outpatient visits and air pollutant (nitrogen dioxide, ozone [O3] and fine particulate matter) data from 18 cities from 2015 to 2022 to assess the health economic benefits. A generalized additive model was used to estimate concentration-response relationships. Health economic benefits were calculated based on the value of statistical life (VSL) and direct medical costs. Between 2015 and 2022, controlling PM2.5 and NO2 yielded significant health economic benefits across all health outcomes. Air pollution control generated significant health economic benefits across multiple outcomes in Guangdong Province. The total health economic benefits associated with PM2.5 and NO2 were 10,305.35 and 1017.00 million CNY, respectively. In contrast, O3 control yielded negative net benefits across all outcomes. Between 2015 and 2022, the multi-outcome health benefits of controlling PM2.5 exceeded mortality-only estimates by 31.79%, respectively For PM2.5 control, the elderly accounted for over 85% of the mortality-related benefits. These findings highlight the need for coordinated PM2.5-O3 control, the integration of multi-outcome evaluations into policy design, and targeted protection for vulnerable populations particularly the elderly.
Air pollution has become a major global challenge, imposing substantial health and economic burdens while threatening progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates the impact of air pollution on healthcare expenditure using panel data from 95 countries over the period 2010-2020. Two complementary indicators of air pollution, emissions per unit area (EMS) and ambient PM2.5 concentration, are employed to distinguish pollution intensity from population exposure. Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models with robust standard errors are estimated to examine the direct effects of air pollution, while interaction models are used to assess the moderating roles of urbanization, industrialization, and national income levels. The results indicate that EMS significantly increases healthcare expenditure, whereas PM2.5 exhibits a counterintuitive negative association, suggesting that institutional capacity, preventive healthcare, and policy responses may influence the pollution-healthcare expenditure relationship. Urbanization mitigates the adverse effect of PM2.5, and heterogeneous impacts are observed across income groups. The findings contribute to the literature by integrating dual pollution indicators and crosscountry heterogeneity, providing evidence to support policies aimed at strengthening environmental governance, improving preventive healthcare systems, and advancing sustainable development.
Loan Thị Vũ, Trang Dinh, Thao Phuong Hoang et al.· VNU University of Economics...· 0 citations
This study quantifies the annual health and economic burden caused by exposure to local emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and benzene in the Haifa Bay Area, Israel.
A spatial health impact assessment was conducted using high-resolution pollution modeling and fine-scale population data. National disease rates and local concentrations were combined to estimate mortality and morbidity across statistical areas. Economic costs were evaluated using cost-of-illness and Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) and the Value of a Life Year (VOLY).
Significant spatial differences were found in both exposure levels and attributable health outcomes, with specific neighborhoods facing higher risks of mortality and chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, Diabetes, asthma and low birthweight. The total annual economic burden was estimated at 0.56–1.36 billion ILS (approximately 150–366 million USD).
Results provide essential data for local policymakers to target high-risk areas and inform cost-effective pollution-reduction strategies in complex urban zones.
This research offers a novel, spatially resolved quantification of the health and economic burden of local air pollution in Israel, combining advanced epidemiological methods and economic analysis to support integrated environmental management.
Asael Greenfeld, Yossi Erel, Gad Schaffer et al.· Management of environmental...· 0 citations
These findings provide a scientific basis for targeted O3 mitigation policies in China and offer a "Chinese solution" for developing nations around the world to seek a balance between air quality management and economic development.
Yilan Shu, Huijuan Wang, Zilin Han et al.· Environmental Research· 0 citations
The findings indicate that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with a significant increase in the risk of chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and premature mortality, and integrated prevention strategies-combining policy measures, planning solutions, and technological innovations have proven effective in reducing ambient pollutant levels and associated health burdens.
Dragana Kerkez, S. Nešović, Kristina Filipović et al.· Zbornik radova· 0 citations
To continuously improve air quality and protect public health, China issued the Continuous Improvement of Air Quality Action Plan in 2023. This study introduces a dual-pollutant health impact trade-off analysis to explore the effects of the action plan on air quality (including PM2.5 and O3 concentrations), health, and economic consequences in China. First, air quality before and after the implementation of the action plan was explored in three key regions using the air quality model, introducing updated chemical mechanisms to capture the nonlinear concentration changes. Second, the health benefits of avoiding premature deaths attributable to PM2.5 and O3 exposure, due to improvements in air quality, were estimated using the Global Exposure Mortality Model. Third, the economic impacts associated with human health improvements were monetised based on the willingness-to-pay method. The main findings are summarised as follows. (1) Regarding air quality impacts, through the implementation of the action plan, the annual mean PM2.5 concentrations across three key regions would decrease by 1.05, 0.3, and 0.18 μg/m3 on average in the Fen-Wei Plain, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas, and Yangtze River Delta region, respectively, during 2020-2025; in contrast, the increases in O3 concentrations would reach 3.08, 1.03, and 0.91 μg/m3 on average, respectively, during this period. (2) Concerning health impacts, the action plan would prevent approximately 5581 (95% confidence interval (CI): 4720-6378) premature deaths from PM2.5 reductions but lead to 3043 (95% CI: 1136-4547) additional deaths from O3 increases in three key regions. (3) From an economic perspective, the action plan would generate economic benefits of 1414.14 (95% CI: 1195.05-1617.21) million USD from PM2.5-related avoided premature deaths, but economic disbenefits of 993.33 (95% CI: 368.67-1492.98) million USD from O3-related increased premature deaths in the three key regions.
Weiming An, Hong-Tao Mao, Xiaoda Xue et al.· Environmental Pollution· 0 citations
The implementation of the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a regional climate action intended to protect population health, but its empirical linkage to the sustainability goal of good health and well-being remains untested. Using mortality data from Hong Kong (2013–2022), we employed a two-month-lag fixed-effects model to estimate the change in years of life lost (YLL) associated with monthly AQHI warning frequency. We further assessed heterogeneity across demographic and geographic subgroups, and explored the underlying mechanisms. The findings show that monthly AQHI warning frequency is negatively associated with YLL two months later. Each additional warning per month is associated with a reduction of 0.0032 units (SE = 0.0011) in per capita YLL across districts in Hong Kong. The baseline result was further supported by extended survival analyses. Heterogeneity analyses showed that each additional AQHI warning was associated with a significant reduction in YLL among males (coef. = −0.0066, SE = 0.0001) and those with spouses (coef. = −0.0065, SE = 0.0083), but not among females or those without spouses. Mechanism analyses suggested that the effect of AQHI warning frequency on YLL reduction was significantly moderated by individual behavioral responses, including increased face mask usage (int. coef. = −0.0047, SE = 0.0016) and reduced short-term travel (int. coef.= −0.0069, SE = 0.0004), and through socio-environmental pathways such as reduced traffic accidents (int. coef. = −0.0134, SE = 0.0034) and lower carbon emissions (int. coef. = −0.0367, SE = 0.0112). Hong Kong’s AQHI forecasting experience demonstrates the viability of health risk warnings as a climate adaptation strategy in sustainable urban governance, while its observed equity gaps offer critical lessons for refining inclusive environmental health policies.