IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v13y2015i1p61-d61086.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rapid Assessment of Environmental Health Impacts for Policy Support: The Example of Road Transport in New Zealand

Author

Listed:
  • David Briggs

    (Emeritus Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK)

  • Kylie Mason

    (Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Barry Borman

    (Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

An integrated environmental health impact assessment of road transport in New Zealand was carried out, using a rapid assessment. The disease and injury burden was assessed from traffic-related accidents, air pollution, noise and physical (in)activity, and impacts attributed back to modal source. In total, road transport was found to be responsible for 650 deaths in 2012 (2.1% of annual mortality): 308 from traffic accidents, 283 as a result of air pollution, and 59 from noise. Together with morbidity, these represent a total burden of disease of 26,610 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). An estimated 40 deaths and 1874 DALYs were avoided through active transport. Cars are responsible for about 52% of attributable deaths, but heavy goods vehicles (6% of vehicle kilometres travelled, vkt) accounted for 21% of deaths. Motorcycles (1 per cent of vkt) are implicated in nearly 8% of deaths. Overall, impacts of traffic-related air pollution and noise are low compared to other developed countries, but road accident rates are high. Results highlight the need for policies targeted at road accidents, and especially at heavy goods vehicles and motorcycles, along with more general action to reduce the reliance on private road transport. The study also provides a framework for national indicator development.

Suggested Citation

  • David Briggs & Kylie Mason & Barry Borman, 2015. "Rapid Assessment of Environmental Health Impacts for Policy Support: The Example of Road Transport in New Zealand," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-23, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2015:i:1:p:61-:d:61086
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/1/61/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/1/61/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bollen, Johannes & Hers, Sebastiaan & van der Zwaan, Bob, 2010. "An integrated assessment of climate change, air pollution, and energy security policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4021-4030, August.
    2. Maria Foraster, 2013. "Is it traffic-related air pollution or road traffic noise, or both? Key questions not yet settled!," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 58(5), pages 647-648, October.
    3. Goodarz Danaei & Eric L Ding & Dariush Mozaffarian & Ben Taylor & Jürgen Rehm & Christopher J L Murray & Majid Ezzati, 2009. "The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(4), pages 1-23, April.
    4. van Delden, Hedwig & Stuczynski, Tomasz & Ciaian, Pavel & Paracchini, Maria Luisa & Hurkens, Jelle & Lopatka, Artur & Shi, Yu-e & Prieto, Oscar Gomez & Calvo, Silvia & van Vliet, Jasper & Vanhout, Roe, 2010. "Integrated assessment of agricultural policies with dynamic land use change modelling," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(18), pages 2153-2166.
    5. Stassen, Stien & Collier, Pieter & Torfs, Rudi, 2008. "The Environmental Burden of Disease due to transportation noise in Flanders (Belgium) 2004," Working Papers 2008/04, Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel, Faculteit Economie en Management.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Charles Courtemanche & James Marton & Benjamin Ukert & Aaron Yelowitz & Daniela Zapata, 2018. "Early Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Care Access, Risky Health Behaviors, and Self‐Assessed Health," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 84(3), pages 660-691, January.
    2. Jasmina Ćetković & Slobodan Lakić & Angelina Živković & Miloš Žarković & Radoje Vujadinović, 2021. "Economic Analysis of Measures for GHG Emission Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-25, February.
    3. Muoi Mot Huynh Van & Trung Kien Tran, 2021. "Tax Policy and Environmental Impact of FDI: Empirical Evidence in Developing Countries," Economic Research Guardian, Weissberg Publishing, vol. 11(1), pages 144-155, June.
    4. Ekholm, Tommi & Karvosenoja, Niko & Tissari, Jarkko & Sokka, Laura & Kupiainen, Kaarle & Sippula, Olli & Savolahti, Mikko & Jokiniemi, Jorma & Savolainen, Ilkka, 2014. "A multi-criteria analysis of climate, health and acidification impacts due to greenhouse gases and air pollution—The case of household-level heating technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 499-509.
    5. Dusanee Kesavayuth & Prompong Shangkhum & Vasileios Zikos, 2022. "Well-Being and Physical Health: A Mediation Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2849-2879, August.
    6. Brian L. Rostron & Cindy M. Chang & Brittny C. Davis Lynn & Chunfeng Ren & Esther Salazar & Bridget K. Ambrose, 2022. "The contribution of smoking-attributable mortality to differences in mortality and life expectancy among US African-American and white adults, 2000–2019," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(31), pages 905-918.
    7. Matthew Ritchey & Stavros Tsipas & Fleetwood Loustalot & Gregory Wozniak, 2016. "Use of Pharmacy Sales Data to Assess Changes in Prescription- and Payment-Related Factors that Promote Adherence to Medications Commonly Used to Treat Hypertension, 2009 and 2014," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(7), pages 1-14, July.
    8. Pınar Mine Güneş, 2016. "The effects of teenage childbearing on long-term health in the US: a twin-fixed-effects approach," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 891-920, December.
    9. Lawrence, Elizabeth M. & Mollborn, Stefanie & Hummer, Robert A., 2017. "Health lifestyles across the transition to adulthood: Implications for health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 23-32.
    10. Yan Zheng & Qingsong Chang & Paul Siu Fai Yip, 2019. "Understanding the Increase in Life Expectancy in Hong Kong: Contributions of Changes in Age- and Cause-Specific Mortality," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Gärtner, Dominique & Keller, Armin & Schulin, Rainer, 2013. "A simple regional downscaling approach for spatially distributing land use types for agricultural land," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 10-19.
    12. Ronchetti, Jérôme & Terriau, Anthony, 2021. "Help me quit smoking but don't make me sick! The controversial effects of electronic cigarettes on tobacco smokers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    13. Bollen, Johannes, 2015. "The value of air pollution co-benefits of climate policies: Analysis with a global sector-trade CGE model called WorldScan," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PA), pages 178-191.
    14. Shima Hamidi, 2020. "Urban sprawl and the emergence of food deserts in the USA," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(8), pages 1660-1675, June.
    15. John Cawley & Stephanie von Hinke Kessler Scholder, 2013. "The Demand for Cigarettes as Derived from the Demand for Weight Control," NBER Working Papers 18805, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Mitja Kovac & Rok Spruk, 2019. "Does the ban on trans-fats improve public health? In search of the optimal policy response," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 258-281, June.
    17. María Blanco & Benjamin Van Doorslaer & Wolfgang Britz & Heinz-Peter Witzke, 2012. "Exploring the feasibility of integrating water issues into the CAPRI model," JRC Research Reports JRC77058, Joint Research Centre.
    18. Haijun Zhao & Weichun Ma & Hongjia Dong & Ping Jiang, 2017. "Analysis of Co-Effects on Air Pollutants and CO 2 Emissions Generated by End-of-Pipe Measures of Pollution Control in China’s Coal-Fired Power Plants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-19, March.
    19. Ottmar Edenhofer & Susanne Kadner & Christoph von Stechow & Gregor Schwerhoff & Gunnar Luderer, 2014. "Linking climate change mitigation research to sustainable development," Chapters, in: Giles Atkinson & Simon Dietz & Eric Neumayer & Matthew Agarwala (ed.), Handbook of Sustainable Development, chapter 30, pages 476-499, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Charles Courtemanche & James Marton & Benjamin Ukert & Aaron Yelowitz & Daniela Zapata, 2019. "Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Health Behaviors After 3 Years," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 45(1), pages 7-33, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:13:y:2015:i:1:p:61-:d:61086. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.