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Air pollution is a major environmental risk to health. In this study, short-term premature mortality due to particulate matter equal to or less than 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5 ) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is estimated by using a PC-based human health benefits software. The economic loss is assessed by using the willingness to pay (WTP) method. The contributions of each region, sector and gaseous precursor are also determined by employing brute-force method. The results show that, in the YRD in 2010, the short-term premature deaths caused by PM 2.5 are estimated to be 13,162 (95% confidence interval (CI): 10,761-15,554), while the economic loss is 22.1 (95% CI: 18.1–26.1) billion Chinese Yuan. The industrial and residential sectors contributed the most, accounting for more than 50% of the total economic loss. Emissions of primary PM 2.5 and NH 3 are major contributors to the health-related loss in winter, while the contribution of gaseous precursors such as SO 2 and NO x is higher than primary PM 2.5 in summer.

Under the 11th Five Year Plan (FYP, 2006e2010) for national environmental protection by the Chinese government, the overarching goal for sulfur dioxide (SO2) controls is to achieve a total national emissions level of SO2 in 2010 10% lower than the level in 2005. A similar nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions control plan is currently under development and could be enforced during the 12th FYP (2011e2015). In this study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA)’s Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (Models3/CMAQ) modeling system was applied to assess the air quality improvement that would result from the targeted SO2 and NOx emission controls in China. Four emission scenarios d the base year 2005, the 2010 Business-As-Usual (BAU) scenario, the 2010 SO2 control scenario, and the 2010 NOx control scenariodwere constructed and simulated to assess the air quality change from the national control plan. The Fifth-Generation NCAR/Penn State Mesoscale Model (MM5) was applied to generate the meteorological fields for the CMAQ simulations. In this Part I paper, the model performance for the simulated meteorology was evaluated against observations for the base case in terms of temperature, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation. It is shown that MM5 model gives an overall good performance for these meteorological variables. The generated meteorological fields are acceptable for using in the CMAQ modeling.

Following the meteorological evaluation in Part I, this Part II paper presents the statistical evaluation of air quality predictions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)’s Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (Models-3/CMAQ) model for the four simulated months in the base year 2005. The surface predictions were evaluated using the Air Pollution Index (API) data published by the China Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) for 31 capital cities and daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5, particles with aerodiameter less than or equal to 2.5 mm) observations of an individual site in Tsinghua University (THU). To overcome the shortage in surface observations, satellite data are used to assess the column predictions including tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column abundance and aerosol optical depth (AOD). The result shows that CMAQ gives reasonably good predictions for the air quality. The air quality improvement that would result from the targeted sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission controls in China were assessed for the objective year 2010. The results show that the emission controls can lead to significant air quality benefits. SO2 concentrations in highly polluted areas of East China in 2010 are estimated to be decreased by 30e60% compared to the levels in the 2010 Business-As-Usual (BAU) case. The annual PM2.5 can also decline by 3e15 mgm �3 (4e25%) due to the lower SO2 and sulfate concentrations. If similar controls are implemented for NOx emissions, NOx concentrations are estimated to decrease by 30e60% as compared with the 2010 BAU scenario. The annual mean PM2.5 concentrations will also decline by 2e14 mgm �3 (3e12%). In addition, the number of

The objective of this case study was to assess potential health risks and productivity loss in the absence of future additional environmental control of particulate matter (PM) in Japan. Assuming a 10% decline in PM, the estimates of the numbers of possible cases of premature mortality and morbidity that could be prevented in the year 2010 were (1) 8700 long term deaths, (2) 12,000 cases of chronic bronchitis, (3) 24,000 cases of cardiovascular disease, (4) 10,000 cases of pneumonia, (5) 18,000 asthma attacks, and (6) 12,000 cases of acute bronchitis during a one year period. The best estimate of medical costs plus lost productivity in adults and children was $56 billion USD. When compared to a separately derived estimate of $31 billion USD in avoided pollution control costs, the health risk to no‐control benefit ratio of 1.8 suggests that additional future pollution control policies would successfully prevent a large expense to the society in medical care and lost productivity while imposing a lesser cos...

Effects of nine social life indicators on age-adjusted and age-specific annual suicide mortality of male and female Japanese population in the years 1953-96 were investigated by multiple regression analysis on time series data. Unemployment rate was significantly related to the age-adjusted mortality in both males and females. Also, female labour force participation was positively related to the male mortality; persons and 65 and above was inversely related to the male mortality. Results on the age-specific mortality indicated that: during the 44 yr, (1) unemployment significantly related with the mortality of young, middle-aged and elderly males and young females; (2) female labour force participation significantly related with the mortality of young and elderly males and young females; aged population significantly related with the mortality of middle-aged and elderly males; (4) young population significantly related with the mortality of young and middle-aged males and females; (5) divorce significantly related with the mortality of middle-aged and elderly males and young males and females; (6) persons employed in primary industries significantly related with the mortality in middle-aged males and young males and females; and (7) population density significantly related with the mortality of middle-aged males and young females.

The objectives of this study were to assess potential health and productivity benefits for the year 2010 with five scenarios for reducing particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) air pollution in the cities of Osaka, Houston, Bangkok and Seoul. Assuming a uniform 10% decline in ambient PM levels, the preventible cases of: (1) premature mortality ranged from 35 in Houston to 379 in Seoul, (2) chronic bronchitis ranged from 95 in Houston to 1,631 in Seoul, (3) cardiovascular disease ranged from 68 in Houston to 818 in Seoul, (4) pneumonia ranged from 28 in Houston to 336 in Seoul, (5) asthma attacks ranged from 388 in Osaka to 96,876 in Seoul, and (6) acute bronchitis ranged from 186 in Houston to 2,973 in Seoul. The per million population central estimate of the purchasing power parity adjusted value of health and productivity benefits ranged from $25 million in Bangkok to $160 million in Osaka. There was a wide variability in measured PM10 levels across cities. Percentages of active monitors reporting concentrations above 50 μg/m3 (annual average) or 150 μg/m3 (24-hour average) in 2001–2002 were 0% in Houston, 5% in Osaka, 33% in Bangkok and 92% in Seoul. Assuming a non-uniform reduction in PM only at concentration hotspots with levels above air quality standards, the number of preventible cases of mortality ranged from 0 in Houston to 1,104 in Seoul. The central estimate of total benefits ranged from $0 in Houston to $240 million in Seoul.

In the present study, we identified cost benefit analysis (CBA) procedures and data availability to determine the programme feasibility of conducting an ex post CBA for particulate matter of a ten micron nominal diameter (PM‐10) air pollution control in Japan. This paper describes Freeman's benefits methodology to use for the benefits portion of the CBA, and the paper shows the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) costs methodology supplemented by Dixon et al.'s procedures to use for the costs portion of the analysis. The findings included (1) developing a procedure for estimating benefits based on Freeman, (2) developing a procedure for estimating costs based on EPA and Dixon et al., (3) determining that pre‐control data and post‐control data on PM‐10 costs and benefits are available from government agencies in Tokyo, and (4) determining that concentration response functions for health impacts are available from EPA. In conclusion it is feasible to conduct a CBA for Japan, based on the availability...

The most common method of evaluating beneficial impacts of environmental policies is cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In the present review, CBA methods for air pollution impacts are reviewed. Three types of air pollution effects are identified, including health, productivity, and amenity. Market valuation, stated preference methods, and revealed preference methods are identified for valuing benefits. Three types of costs are deseribed, including private sector costs, societal costs, and governmental regulatory costs. A benefits valuation approach based on Freeman's principals is described. A costs valuation approach based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Dixon et al. principals is deseribed. Limitations associated with estimates of benefits and costs are summarized. Input assumptions and results are compared for several existing air pollution control analyses. The importance of CBA in environmental policy studies is discussed. Our conceptual approaches should be useful in analyses of urban air pollution impacts and air pollution prevention policies.

In recent years, levels of particulate matter (PM) air pollution in China have been relatively high, exceeding China's Class II standards in many cities and impacting public health. This analysis takes Chinese health impact functions and underlying health incidence, applies 2010-2012 modeled and monitored PM air quality data, and estimates avoided cases of mortality and morbidity in Shanghai, assuming achievement of China's Class II air quality standards. In Shanghai, the estimated avoided all cause mortality due to PM10 ranged from 13 to 55 cases per day and from 300 to 800 cases per year. The estimated avoided impact on hospital admissions due to PM10 ranged from 230 cases to 580 cases per day and from 5400 to 7900 per year. The estimated avoided impact on all cause mortality due to PM2.5 ranged from 6 to 26 cases per day and from 39 to 1400 per year. The estimated impact on all cause mortality of a year exposure to an annual or monthly mean PM2.5 concentration ranged from 180 to 3500 per year. In Shanghai, the avoided cases of all cause mortality had an estimated monetary value ranging from 170 million yuan (1 US dollar=4.2 yuan Purchasing Power Parity) to 1200 million yuan. Avoided hospital admissions had an estimated value from 20 to 43 million yuan. Avoided emergency department visits had an estimated value from 5.6 million to 15 million yuan. Avoided outpatient visits had an estimated value from 21 million to 31 million yuan. In this analysis, available data were adequate to estimate avoided health impacts and assign monetary value. Sufficient supporting documentation was available to construct and format data sets for use in the United States Environmental Protection Agency's health and environmental assessment model, known as the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program - Community Edition ("BenMAP-CE").

Climate change is anticipated to raise overall temperatures and is likely to increase heat-related human health morbidity and mortality risks. The objective of this work was to develop a proof-of-concept approach for estimating excess heat-related premature deaths in the continental United States resulting from potential changes in future temperature using the BenMAP model. In this approach we adapt the methods and tools that the US Environmental Protection Agency uses to assess air pollution health impacts by incorporating temperature modeling and heat mortality health impact functions. This new method demonstrates the ability to apply the existing temperature-health literature to quantify prospective changes in climate-sensitive heat-related mortality. We compared estimates of future temperature with and without climate change and applied heat-mortality health functions to estimate relative changes in heat-related premature mortality. Using the A1B emissions scenario, we applied the GISS-II global circulation model downscaled to 36-km using MM5 and formatted using the Meteorology-Chemistry Interface Processor. For averaged temperatures derived from the 5 years 2048-2052 relative to 1999-2003 we estimated for the warm season May-September a national U.S. estimate of annual incidence of heat-related mortality to be 3700-3800 from all causes, 3500 from cardiovascular disease, and 21 000-27 000 from nonaccidental death, applying various health impact functions. Our estimates of mortality, produced to validate the application of a new methodology, suggest the importance of quantifying heat impacts in economic assessments of climate change.

The relationships between male or female age-adjusted suicide mortality and social life factors for all 47 Japanese prefectures in 1980, 1985 and 1990 were investigated by stepwise multiple regression analysis after classification of 20 social life indicators by factor analysis. During this period, Japan experienced the second economic crisis (the so-called secondary oil crisis) in 1980-1983 and economic prosperity (bubble economy) in 1986-1990. In all the three years, male suicide mortality was significantly related inversely to the urbanization and economic development factor, the result of which was consistent with the data in our previous study for the years 1970 and 1975. Similarly, the male mortality was positively related to the factor of migration of workers in the three years. No factor significantly related to female mortality for all the three years was found. It is suggested that (1) urbanization was a major determinant which prevented male suicide mortality during the past 20 years (1970-1990) in Japan; (2) migration of workers became an important factor for male suicide mortality during these 10 years; and (3) female suicide mortality was less vulnerable to social life factors for these 20 years than the male mortality.

Using two types of personal monitors for suspended particulate matter of diameter under 10 μm (PM-10) and for particles of diameter under 1 μm with attached polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAH), we measured the PM-10 and PPAH concentrations in the indoor and outdoor air in various locations in the Tokyo area. The major findings were as follows. (1) The PPAH concentrations in a clean living room increased rapidly within several minutes after one cigarette was smoked. (2) Using the average indoor concentrations of PM-10 and PPAH in a department store as control concentrations, respectively, where the average indoor PM-10 concentration was closest to an annual average outdoor concentration in Japan, the mean value for indoor air concentrations of PM-10 by location ranged from 2.2 to 6.2 times the control concentration, and the mean value for indoor air concentrations of PPAH by location ranged from 1.0 to 32.2 times the control concentration. (3) Using the same control concentrations, the mean value of outdoor concentrations of PM-10 by location ranged from 1.6 to 8.5 times the control concentration, while the mean value of outdoor concentrations of PPAH by location were up to 353.7 times the control concentration. The major polluted places were main traffic roads, highways, and street tunnels. (4) The correlation coefficient between the PM and the PPAH concentrations in the total monitoring time was 0.014, which was not significant (P>0.05).