New tool shows what air pollution and chemicals cost society

The list of diseases linked to air pollution and chemicals is long. What does this cost society, and what measures are most effective? The EU project VALESOR, which has studied this issue for three years, has developed a tool to support assessment, and to show how improved regulation can bring significant social and economic benefits.

Throughout Europe, there is growing demand for reliable tools for assessing the costs and health effects associated with air pollution and chemicals, so this has been a key focus of the project, says Katarina Yaramenka, air quality expert at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, which is participating in the project.

Nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, ozone, heavy metals and solvents are some common pollutants that harm human health, the climate and our ecosystems. In order to quantify the consequences in terms of disease and lost years of life, many calculation parameters need to be linked together in a structured way.

The EU project VALESOR – Valuation of Environmental Stressors – has developed an online tool for assessing the health effects and economic costs associated with exposure to chemical substances and air pollution. The method and parameters used in the tool are based on the latest research findings on the health effects of the most common and most significant air pollutants and chemicals.

An added value of this tool compared to other similar tools is the monetary valuation of health effects. Every case of illness has a cost in terms of healthcare, reduced productivity and suffering. The cost parameters used in the tool summarize the results of an extensive literature review and account for regional differences, says Per Strömberg, environmental economist at IVL.

The tool creates scenarios for emission reductions and, for each scenario, provides users with a set of results, such as health effects (reduced mortality, morbidity) and the expected societal cost savings associated with these reductions.

The tool enables users to easily test different valuation methods, adjust the values of key parameters, and immediately see the changes in the results, says Katarina Yaramenka.

The target audience is decision-makers, researchers, academics and NGOs. The tool is intended to support their research and decision-making processes by providing a scientific basis for health impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses.

For more information, contact:
Katarina Yaramenka, katarina.yaramenka@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 68 96
Per Strömberg, per.stromberg@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 67 55

The EU project VALESOR – Valuation of Environmental Stressors – brings together researchers and experts from six European countries and eleven universities, institutes and consulting firms. VALESOR is part of the research cluster METEOR – Methods for assessing health-related costs of environmental stressors – together with four other parallel projects. Read more External link, opens in new window.