Transboundary air pollution and respiratory disease mortality: evidence from European countries

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to quantify the impact of transboundary air pollutants, particularly those related to urban traffic, on health outcomes. The importance of focusing on the health implications of transboundary pollution is due to the fact that these emissions originate from another jurisdiction, thus constituting international negative externalities. Thus, by isolating and quantifying the impact of these transboundary air pollutants on domestic health outcomes, the authors can understand more clearly the extent of these externalities, identify their ramifications for health and emphasise the importance of cross-country cooperation in the fight against air pollution.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ panel data regression analysis to look at the relationship between emissions of transboundary air pollution and mortality rates from various respiratory diseases among a sample of 40 European countries, over the period 2003–2014. In turn, the authors use annual data on transboundary emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), together with detailed data on the per capita incidence of various respiratory diseases, including lung cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The authors consider a number of different regression equation specifications and control for potential confounders like the quality of healthcare and economic prosperity within each country.FindingsThe results show that transboundary emissions of PM2.5 are positively and significantly related to mortality rates from asthma in our sample of countries. Quantitatively, a 10% increase in PM2.5 transboundary emissions per capita from neighbouring countries is associated with a 1.4% increase in the asthma mortality rate within the recipient country or roughly 200 deaths by asthma per year across our sample.Originality/valueThese findings have important policy implications for cross-country cooperation and regulation in the field of pollution abatement and control, particularly since all the countries under consideration form a part of the UN's Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), a transnational cooperative agreement aimed at curtailing such pollutants on an international level.

A Source Apportionment and Emission Scenario Assessment of PM2.5‐ and O3‐Related Health Impacts in G20 Countries

“…A country like Germany, where PM 2.5 ‐related premature deaths do not originate primarily from a single dominant source and are instead contributed by many smaller sources, presents the need for collective and comprehensive emissions mitigations in certain groups of G20 countries. A number of studies (Crippa et al., 2016 ; Liang et al., 2018 ; Viana et al., 2020 ; L. Wang et al., 2016 ) have highlighted the role of the long‐range transport of emissions on air quality in European countries along with more recent work (Spiteri & von Brockdorff, 2020 ) which has found a statistically significant relationship between transboundary emissions and premature death.…”

“…A number of studies (Crippa et al, 2016;Liang et al, 2018;Viana et al, 2020;L. Wang et al, 2016) have highlighted the role of the long-range transport of emissions on air quality in European countries along with more recent work (Spiteri & von Brockdorff, 2020) which has found a statistically significant relationship between transboundary emissions and premature death.…”

Catalytic Abatement of Volatile Organic Compounds and Soot over Manganese Oxide Catalysts

“…In recent years, the elevated concentration of pollutant substances in the air has increased the occurrence of respiratory diseases and deaths in Europe and around the world [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. This encouraged the placement of regulations on the emission of PM and/or VOCs in several countries [ 5 , 6 ].…”