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ABSTRACT
Background: Lisbon has about 500,000 inhabitants and it’s the capital and the main economic hub of Portugal. Studies have demonstrated that exposure to Particulate Matter with an aerodynamic diameter<2.5 μm (PM2.5) have strong association with health effects. Researchers continue to identify new harmful air pollutants effects in our health even in low levels. Objectives: This study evaluates air pollution scenarios considering a Health Impact Assessment approach in Lisbon, Portugal. Methods: We have studied abatement scenarios of PM2.5 concentrations and the health effects in the period from 2015 to 2017 using the APHEKOM tool and the associated health costs were assessed by Value of Life Year. Results: The mean concentration of PM2.5 in Lisbon was 23 μg/m3 ± 10 μg/m3 (±Standard Deviation). If we consider that World Health Organization (WHO) standards of PM2.5 (10 μg/m3) were reached, Lisbon would avoid more than 423 premature deaths (equivalent to 9,172 life years’ gain) and save more than US$45 million annually. If Lisbon city could even diminish the mean of PM2.5 by 5 μg/m3, nearly 165 deaths would be avoided, resulting in a gain of US$17 million annually. Conclusion: According to our findings, if considered the worst pollution scenario, levels of PM2.5 could improve the life’s quality and save a significant amount of economic resources.
Implications: The manuscript addresses the health effects and costs of air pollution and constitutes an important target for improving public policies on air pollutants in Portugal. Although Portugal has low levels of air pollution, there are significant health and economic effects that, for the most part, are underreported. The health impact assessment approach associated with costs had not yet been addressed in Portugal, which makes this study more relevant in the analysis of policies aimed to drive stricter control on pollutants’ emissions. Health costs are a fundamental element to support decision-making process and to orientate the trade-offs in investments for improving public policies so that to diminish health effects, which can impact the management of the local health services and the population’s quality of life, especially after the pandemic period when resources are scarce.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author Abe, KC on request by email [email protected].
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Karina Camasmie Abe
Karina Camasmie Abe has a bachelor’s degree in Biomedicine and Chemistry. She works as a professor at Cruzeiro do Sul University and has a postdoctoral fellow in the interdisciplinary area of Integrated Environmental Health, with emphasis on Health Economics, at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in collaboration with the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (IPP- Portugal). She holds a doctorate from the same University, in the area of Health Management and Technologies.
Matilde Alexandra Rodrigues
Matilde Alexandra Rodrigues works as adjunct Professor in the Technical-Scientific area of Environmental Health at the Escola Superior de Saúde – IPP. She is a researcher at the Center for Research in Health and Environment, Escola Superior de Saúde | P. Porto, and collaborator of the ALGORITMI Research Center in the research line “Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM)”, “Ergonomics and Human Factors” group, University of Minho, as well as the Research Center in Rehabilitation (CIR), Escola Superior de Saúde | P. Porto. She has a degree in Environmental Health from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, a master's degree in Human Engineering (Ergonomics and Human Factors) from the University of Minho and a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the same institution.
Simone Georges El Khouri Miraglia
Simone Georges El Khouri Miraglia is an engineer. She holds a BSc and a MSc degrees from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (Poli-USP), where she developed a dissertation on transportation and fuels impacts on air pollution. She holds a PhD from the Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FM-USP), where she wrote a thesis on a new approach for DALY health indicator and cost estimation for the air pollution health effects for São Paulo and a Pos-Doctorate focusing on the “Environmental Valuation of the Health Impacts due to Atmospheric Pollution in São Paulo, Brazil”. Mr Miraglia has a degree of full professor obtained in 2019. Studies impacts of air pollution on health, environmental and health costs, Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and climate change. Since 2009 Simone Miraglia is a professor in the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) where she has achieved a position which enables her to develop her research with focus on health indicators and valuation estimates for urban environmental pollution impacts. Mrs Miraglia has developed a research of the use of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Brazil funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Mrs Miraglia has developed a project concerning Climate Change Health Effects funded by FAPESP which also models economic impacts considering São Paulo urban center.