Health effects of Low Emission Zones: Evidence from German hospitals

Nico Pestel and Florian Wozny

Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2021, vol. 109, issue C

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of Low Emission Zones, restricting the access of high-emission vehicles to inner-city areas, on hospitalizations. For identification, we exploit variation in the timing and the spatial distribution of the introduction of new Low Emission Zones across cities in Germany since 2008. We combine detailed geo-coded hospitalization data from the universe of German hospitals with the geographic coverage of Low Emission Zones over the period from 2006 to 2016. We find that Low Emission Zones reduce levels of air pollution in urban areas. These improvements in air quality translate into small but statistically significant population health benefits by lowering the share of diagnoses related to air pollution for hospitals located within a Low Emission Zone after it becomes effective. The results are mainly driven by reductions in circulatory and chronic lower respiratory diseases.

Keywords: Low Emission Zone; Air pollution; Health; Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 Q52 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:109:y:2021:i:c:s0095069621000802

DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2021.102512

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