Air pollution has human and economic impacts

To calculate the economic impact of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter on mortality in France, AMSE-GREQAM (AMU) relied on:

• The quantitative assessment of the health impact (EQIS)^¹ of air pollution from PM2.5^² fine particulate matter, published in June 2016 by Santé publique France and conducted in over 36,000 municipalities in mainland France.

• The economic valuation of a preventable death based on the official value of 3 million euros proposed in the Quinet report3. This reflects a non-market component, and direct comparison with purely market-based components (such as Gross Domestic Product, GDP) is strongly discouraged.

Three Scenarios for Reducing the Societal Cost of Air Pollution

To estimate the expected benefits of improved air quality in France, several scenarios for reducing PM2.5 concentrations have been quantified:

• The scenario used to assess the burden of pollution in France is the “no anthropogenic pollution” scenario. It estimates the annual impact on mortality of a situation in which no municipality would exceed the PM2.5 level observed in the 5% least polluted municipalities, i.e., 4.9 µg/m³. This national assessment of the burden of PM2.5 pollution linked to human activity is 48,000 preventable deaths per year. The economic impact is estimated at nearly 145 billion euros per year.

• The most ambitious scenario is that of the "least polluted equivalent municipalities." It assesses the annual impact on mortality of a situation in which all municipalities would achieve the PM2.5 levels observed in the 5% of least polluted municipalities within the same urbanization class. If all municipalities succeeded in achieving this goal, 34,500 deaths could be prevented each year, with an economic benefit estimated at 103 billion euros per year.

• The most realistic scenario is that of the "WHO." It assesses the annual impact on mortality of a situation in which no French municipality would exceed the WHO guideline value (10 μg/m³ as an annual average). Thus, if all French municipalities complied with the WHO guideline value, 17,712 deaths would be prevented. The associated economic benefit is estimated at nearly 53 billion euros per year.

Regardless of the scenario, the economic assessment provides further justification for taking action on air quality and pollution reduction. Furthermore, these are conservative estimates, as they concern mortality alone. If we factor in the effects on health (due to chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD, or cardiovascular diseases), the societal cost is much higher.

The Air and Health Monitoring Program (PSAS) Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary (STORYMAP)

Learn more

• Find all the results at: https://www.amse-aixmarseille.fr/actualite/pollution-de-lair

• Chanel O. Economic evaluation of the impacts of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter on mortality in mainland France. 2017 Report, Miméo AMSE, 54 p.

• Chanel O. Economic assessment of the impacts of chronic exposure to fine particulate matter on mortality in mainland France. 2017 Report, Miméo AMSE, 7 p.