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EPA Conferences - Overview
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International Expert Workshop on the Analysis of Economic and Public Health Impacts of Air Pollution
September 6, 2001
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
OVERVIEW
Objective:
This paper outlines an international experts workshop which will establish a process for compiling state-of-the-art information on the public health benefits of improved air quality from technologies that reduce fossil fuel use. The goal of this process is to encourage broad, consistent global efforts to increase awareness of the significant advantages of an integrated approach for addressing environmental problems.
Background:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Integrated Environmental strategies (IES) program in 1998 to support and promote the evaluation of public health and environmental benefits of integrated strategies for air pollution mitigation and environmental improvement in developing countries. The IES program seeks to expand the international dialogue to increase collaboration among the many organizations that are undertaking related work. An international experts workshop is a valuable next step towards supporting this ongoing exchange.
Various organizations, including the US EPA, World Bank, WHO, IPCC, HEI, UNEP, US AID, and other government aid agencies, have generated significant amounts of material and knowledge concerning air pollution, health effects and economic valuation. This workshop will draw upon the foundation of work, both ongoing and already completed.
Issues:
Previous workshops and studies, as well as dialogue with partner countries, have identified specific issues that could serve as a springboard for discussion at the proposed workshop and guide subsequent follow-up work. Such issues include:
Application in developing countries of dose-response relationships and exposure models from countries with advanced economies: Health effects estimates obtained by substituting country-specific data into international dose-response curves and exposure models may be mischaracterized, because they do not take into account factors such as local demographics and varying chemical compositions, sources and mixes of air pollutant concentrations. The appropriateness of extrapolating dose-response estimates for exposures outside of a particular study's exposure range and the degree of correlation between ambient exposure and personal exposure measurements are additional questions with wide-ranging implications.
Validity of dose-response functions for transfer between same country cities and under changing socioeconomic conditions: Environmental and socioeconomic conditions, such as diet, lifestyle and income, may influence the development of dose-response relationships. The extent of the impact of changes in these factors and how to control for these factors in application of D/R functions, both between regions and over time, needs to be explored to assess the validity of using the relationships long-term and to control for these changes.
Susceptible populations: Studies have demonstrated increased susceptibility in vulnerable populations, such as children, elderly, and people with compromised health status.
Ambient monitoring: Health effects analysis in countries without sufficient monitoring systems would benefit considerably from the discussion and dissemination of tools, methods, and approaches to estimate exposure and subsequent effects when ambient monitoring data is scarce or of poor quality.
Health effects data surveillance: The establishment of comparable guidelines for the systems that record health information can provide an important contribution to the conduct of health effects studies, as well as signaling major pollution episodes.
Economic valuation: The generalizability of valuation frameworks for chronic and acute morbidity and mortality within and between developed and developing regions is a topic of considerable importance.
Indoor air: New research has demonstrated the increasing role that indoor air exposure plays in the global burden of disease, particularly in developing countries. Continued efforts to identify both the effects of indoor air pollution mitigation on mortality and morbidity and current research needs are necessary to further our understanding of this issue.
Funding: Developing country teams have also expressed concerns over identifying potential sources of funding to continue research in this area.
Outcomes:
Potential follow-up tasks might include producing training and assistance documents to address critical research and methodological issues for developing countries initiating research in integrated environmental strategies. Another outcome could be the design of a handbook on health effects methodologies to support analyses in developing countries and broader analysis of integrated environmental strategies and measures. In addition, the meeting might seek to identify key issues in the public health community where existing research programs could receive additional support to improve their integration of health and environmental impacts.
References:
Cropper, M.L., N.B Simon, A. Alberini, S. Arora, and P.K. Sharma, 1997. "The Health Effects of Air Pollution Control in Delhi," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 79(5): 1625-1629.
Davis, D.L., A. Krupnick, and G. McGlynn, 2000a. "Ancillary Benefits and Costs of Climate Change Mitigation: An overview," In Ancillary Benefits and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, IPCC Workshop co-sponsored by IPCC, OECD, RFF, Statistics Norway, USDoE, US EPA and WRI, 27-29 March 2000, Washington, DC, United States.
Davis, D.L., A. Krupnick, and G. Thurston, 2000b. "The Ancillary Health Benefits and Costs of GHG Mitigation: Scope, Scale and Credibility," In Ancillary Benefits and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, IPCC Workshop co-sponsored by IPCC, OECD, RFF, Statistics Norway, USDoE, US EPA and WRI, 27-29 March 2000, Washington, DC, United States.
OECD et al, 2000. Ancillary Benefits and Costs of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation, Proceedings of an IPCC Workshop co-sponsored by IPCC, OECD, RFF, Statistics Norway, USDoE, US EPA and WRI, 27-29 March 2000, Washington, DC, United States.
Office of Research and Development, 1999. Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter, External Review Draft. EPA 600/P-99/002a, US EPA, Washington, DC.
World Health Organization, 2000. "Combating climate change has immediate health benefits." Press release EURO 16/00, Copenhagen, Rome, and The Hague
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