Assessing health related economic benefits from reduced particulate matter in air using BenMAP-CE

Abstract

The residents of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) are grappling with serious health risks due to air pollution, especially during the dry period. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) has documented a significant number of premature deaths attributed to polluted air. While the government has implemented policies to curb air pollution, their impact often falls short due to a lack of comprehensive benefit modeling for decision-making. There is a lack of localized studies on air pollution and its health impacts, particularly in Chattogram, with gaps in understanding the correlation between air pollution, heavy metals, mortality, and economic burden, highlighting the urgent need for investigations using tools like BenMAP-CE to assess the efficacy of pollution reduction measures. This study bridges the gap by utilizing the BenMAP-CE tool to assess health and economic benefits resulting from airborne particulate matter reduction. The study centers around the development of BenMAP-CE, utilizing data on particulate matter (PM) in the air, population statistics, air pollution hazards as well as health hazards due to road dust, and economic data. PM data has been gathered from Landsat 8 and selected monitoring sites in the CCC area. Trace metals in road dust were identified using acid digestion and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The 24-hour average concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 in air during November and December, obtained from Landsat 8 and cross-referenced with CAMS data, ranged from 84 to 532 μg/m3 and 70 to 339 μg/m3, respectively, with averages of 181 to 246 μg/m3 and 108 to 190 μg/m3 over the study period. These concentrations were found to exceed BNAAQS and WHO 24-hour threshold values, indicating a hazardous situation linked to associated health risks. The study reveals a temporal trend of rising PM concentrations from 2017 to 2019, followed by a decrease in 2020, a peak in 2021, and a slight decline in 2022. Elevated concentrations of metals like Mn, Zn, Fe, Cr, Cu, and Ni were also identified, potentially exacerbating air-associated health issues. The BenMAP-CE tool demonstrates substantial health and economic benefits achievable through air quality improvement policies in CCC. The study estimates the prevention of 7185 to 11643 premature deaths, translating to an economic benefit ranging from 1.131 billion US dollars to 2.297 billion US dollars, contributing 0.45% to 0.82% to the country’s GDP. Cardiovascular diseases accounted for more premature deaths than respiratory diseases, with the top 5 causes of death ranked as IHD>Stroke>COPD>LRI>LC. The age group 5 to 17 exhibited premature morbidity effects related to asthma and lower respiratory infections.