Environmental and Health Benefits Assessment of Reducing PM2.5 Concentrations in Urban Areas in Developing Countries: Case Study Cartagena de Indias

Abstract

High concentrations of particulate matter (PM) could significantly reduce the quality of useful life and human life expectancy. The origin, control, and management of the problem has made great steps in recent decades. However, the problem is still prominent in developing countries. In fact, often the number and spatial distribution of the air quality monitoring stations does not have an appropriate design, misleading decision makers. In the present research, an innovative assessment is proposed of the environmental, health and economic benefits corresponding to a 20% reduction in the PM2.5 concentration in the urban area of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Cases of mortality and morbidity attributable to fine particles (PM2.5) were estimated, with particular emphasis on mortality, emergency room visits and hospitalizations from respiratory diseases, in addition to their economic assessment using BenMAP-CE®. The novelty of using BenMAP-CE® in studying respiratory diseases and PM2.5 exposure in developing countries lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive assessment of the health impacts of air pollution in these regions. This approach can aid in the development of evidence-based policy and intervention strategies to mitigate the impact of air pollution on respiratory health. Several concentration-response (C-R) functions were implemented to find PM2.5 attributable mortality cases of ischemic heart and cardiopulmonary disease, lung cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as cases of morbidity episodes related to asthma exacerbation and emergency room/hospitalization care for respiratory disease. A 20% reduction would have avoided 104 cases of premature death among the population older than 30 in Cartagena, and around 65 cases of premature mortality without external causes.

Estimation of health-related and economic impacts of PM2.5 in Arak, Iran, using BenMAP-CE

“…Another study in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) indicated that 357, 715, and 64 premature deaths from COPD, IHD, and LC, respectively, would be avoided by reducing the annual PM 2.5 concentrations from 23 to 10 μg/m3 in 2017 [ 33 ]. A study conducted in Cartagena (India) with a control scenario of reducing the baseline concentration by 20% (25 μg/m3) in the over-29-year-old population of the city estimated that control of PM 2.5 concentration would prevent 104 premature deaths and lead to an economic benefit of 50–100 million USDs [ 1 ]. Another study in Tehran (Iran) estimated more than 4000 deaths due to high concentrations of PM 2.5 with an annual concentration of approximately 31μg/m 3 [ 21 ].…”

“…Air pollution is a serious threat to public health and is among the major environmental problems in the current century, especially in developing countries [ 1 , 2 ]. Research has shown a close relationship between the elevated concentrations of air pollutants and the decreased level of health and well-being of communities, increased mortality rate, reduced field of vision, increased damage to other creatures, and other environmental issues [ 3 , 4 ].…”

An Outlier Detection Study of Ozone in Kolkata India by the Classical Statistics, Statistical Process Control and Functional Data Analysis

“…This helps to understand the atmospheric conditions contributing to their dispersion. Various studies, comparable to air pollution analyses, have carried out various types of spatial interpolations of atmospheric variables, such as PM 2.5 and PM 10 , and their influence on humans [5][6][7]. Additionally, Refs.…”