An Economic Analysis of the Environmental Impact of PM 2.5 Exposure on Health Status in Three Northwestern Mexican Cities

Luis Armando Becerra-Pérez, Roberto Alonso Ramos-Álvarez, Juan J. DelaCruz, Benjamín García-Páez, Federico Páez-Osuna, J. Guillermo Cedeño-Laurent and Elena Boldo
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Luis Armando Becerra-Pérez: Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80010, Mexico
Roberto Alonso Ramos-Álvarez: Program in Social Sciences, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Culiacan 80010, Mexico
Juan J. DelaCruz: Department of Economics and Business, Lehman College and CUNY Mexican Studies Institute, New York, NY 10468, USA
Benjamín García-Páez: Faculty of Economics, Division of Postgraduate Studies, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Federico Páez-Osuna: Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mazatlan 82000, Mexico
J. Guillermo Cedeño-Laurent: T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Elena Boldo: National Epidemiology Centre, Carlos IIII Health Institute (ISCIII), Centre for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública—CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 19, 1-17

Abstract: Introduction: This study provides an economic assessment of the health effects due to exposure to particulate matter PM 2.5 in three medium-size cities of northwestern Mexico: Los Mochis, Culiacan and Mazatlán. People in these cities are exposed to high pollutant concentrations that exceed limits suggested in domestic and international guidelines. PM 2.5 is an air contaminant negatively associated with people’s health when is highly concentrated in the atmosphere; its diameter is below 2.5 µm and causes the air to appear hazy when levels are elevated. To account for the economic impact of air pollution, a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was used by the means of the European Aphekom Project. We figured the cost-savings of complying with current environmental standards and computed gains in life expectancy, total avoidable premature mortality, preventable cardiovascular disease, and the economic costs of air pollution related to PM 2.5 . A formal analysis of air pollution epidemiology is not pursued in this paper. Results: The cost of reducing PM 2.5 pollution associated with negative health outcomes was based on two different scenarios: Official Mexican Standard (NOM, Spanish acronym) and World Health Organization (WHO) environmental standards. The mean PM 2.5 concentrations in 2017 were 22.8, 22.4 and 14.1 µg/m 3 for Los Mochis, Mazatlán and Culiacan, respectively. Conclusions: The mean avoidable mortality for all causes associated to PM 2.5 exposure in these cities was 638 for the NOM scenario (i.e., with a reduction to 12 µg/m 3 ) compared to 739 for the WHO scenario (reduction to 10 µg/m 3 ). Complying with the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m 3 in annual PM 2.5 mean would add up to 15 months of life expectancy at age 30, depending on the city. The mean economic cost per year of the PM 2.5 effects on human life in these three cities was USD 600 million (NOM scenario) and USD 695 million (WHO scenario). Thus, effective public health and industrial policy interventions to improve air quality are socially advantageous and cost-saving to promote better health.

Keywords: Value of Statistical Life; human health; avoidable mortality; life expectancy; air pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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