Health Cost Estimation of Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Assessing the Pollution Reduction Potential of Zero-Emission Vehicles in Toronto, Canada

Hamidreza Shamsi, Mohammad Munshed, Manh-Kien Tran, Youngwoo Lee, Sean Walker, Jesse The, Kaamran Raahemifar and Michael Fowler
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Hamidreza Shamsi: Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Mohammad Munshed: Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Manh-Kien Tran: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Youngwoo Lee: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Sean Walker: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
Jesse The: Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Kaamran Raahemifar: College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
Michael Fowler: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-21

Abstract: Fossil fuel vehicles, emitting air toxics into the atmosphere, impose a heavy burden on the economy through additional health care expenses and ecological degradation. Air pollution is responsible for millions of deaths and chronic and acute health problems every year, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The fossil-fuel-based transportation system releases tons of toxic gases into the atmosphere putting human health at risk, especially in urban areas. This analysis aims to determine the economic burden of environmental and health impacts caused by Highway 401 traffic. Due to the high volume of vehicles driving on the Toronto Highway 401 corridor, there is an annual release of 3771 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e). These emissions are mainly emitted onsite through the combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel. The integration of electric and hydrogen vehicles shows maximum reductions of 405–476 g CO 2 e per vehicle-kilometer. Besides these carbon dioxide emissions, there is also a large amount of hazardous air pollutants. To examine the impact of air pollution on human health, the mass and concentrations of criteria pollutants of PM 2.5 and NO x emitted by passenger vehicles and commercial trucks on Highway 401 were determined using the MOVES2014b software. Then, an air dispersion model (AERMOD) was used to find the concentration of different pollutants at the receptor’s location. The increased risk of health issues was calculated using hazard ratios from literature. Finally, the health cost of air pollution from Highway 401 traffic was estimated to be CAD 416 million per year using the value of statistical life, which is significantly higher than the climate change costs of CAD 55 million per year due to air pollution.

Keywords: health cost analysis; air pollution cost analysis; air pollution modeling; life cycle analysis; zero-emission vehicles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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