IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/hlthec/v33y2024i3p482-508.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the short‐term impact of pollution: The effect of PM 2.5 on emergency room visits

Author

Listed:
  • Evangelina Dardati
  • Ramiro de Elejalde
  • Eugenio Giolito

Abstract

In this paper, we study the short‐term effect of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) exposure on respiratory emergency room (ER) visits in Chile, a middle‐income country with high levels of air pollution. To instrument for PM 2.5, we use wind speed at different altitudes (pressure levels). Unlike previous papers, our data allow us to study the impact of high pollution levels across all age groups. We find that a 1 μg per cubic meter (μg/m3) increase in PM 2.5 exposure for 1 day increases ER visits for respiratory illness by 0.36%. The effect is positive and significant for all age groups. Furthermore, the coefficients on government environmental alerts suggest that avoidance behavior becomes increasingly significant across all age groups as restrictions become more severe.

Suggested Citation

  • Evangelina Dardati & Ramiro de Elejalde & Eugenio Giolito, 2024. "On the short‐term impact of pollution: The effect of PM 2.5 on emergency room visits," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 482-508, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:33:y:2024:i:3:p:482-508
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4780
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4780
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/hec.4780?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tatyana Deryugina & Garth Heutel & Nolan H. Miller & David Molitor & Julian Reif, 2019. "The Mortality and Medical Costs of Air Pollution: Evidence from Changes in Wind Direction," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(12), pages 4178-4219, December.
    2. Jamie Mullins & Prashant Bharadwaj, 2015. "Effects of Short-Term Measures to Curb Air Pollution: Evidence from Santiago, Chile," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 97(4), pages 1107-1134.
    3. A. Godzinski & M. Suarez Castillo, 2021. "Disentangling the effects of air pollutants with many instruments," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers g2021-04, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    4. Sanderson, Eleanor & Windmeijer, Frank, 2016. "A weak instrument F-test in linear IV models with multiple endogenous variables," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 190(2), pages 212-221.
    5. Rema Hanna & Esther Duflo & Michael Greenstone, 2016. "Up in Smoke: The Influence of Household Behavior on the Long-Run Impact of Improved Cooking Stoves," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 80-114, February.
    6. Rivera, Nathaly M., 2021. "Air quality warnings and temporary driving bans: Evidence from air pollution, car trips, and mass-transit ridership in Santiago," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    7. Matthew Neidell, 2009. "Information, Avoidance Behavior, and Health: The Effect of Ozone on Asthma Hospitalizations," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 44(2).
    8. Avraham Ebenstein & Maoyong Fan & Michael Greenstone & Guojun He & Peng Yin & Maigeng Zhou, 2015. "Growth, Pollution, and Life Expectancy: China from 1991-2012," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 226-231, May.
    9. Christopher R. Knittel & Douglas L. Miller & Nicholas J. Sanders, 2016. "Caution, Drivers! Children Present: Traffic, Pollution, and Infant Health," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 98(2), pages 350-366, May.
    10. Prashant Bharadwaj & Matthew Gibson & Joshua Graff Zivin & Christopher Neilson, 2017. "Gray Matters: Fetal Pollution Exposure and Human Capital Formation," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(2), pages 505-542.
    11. Tanaka, Shinsuke, 2015. "Environmental regulations on air pollution in China and their impact on infant mortality," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 90-103.
    12. He, Guojun & Fan, Maoyong & Zhou, Maigeng, 2016. "The effect of air pollution on mortality in China: Evidence from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 18-39.
    13. Ruiz-Tagle, Cristobal & Schueftan, Alejandra, 2021. "Nudging for cleaner air: experimental evidence from an RCT on wood stove usage," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 111527, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    14. Ruiz-Tagle V., Cristóbal & Schueftan, Alejandra, 2019. "Reducing Air Pollution through Behavioral Change of Wood-Stove Users: Evidence from an RCT in Valdivia, Chile," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 9827, Inter-American Development Bank.
    15. Enrico Moretti & Matthew Neidell, 2011. "Pollution, Health, and Avoidance Behavior: Evidence from the Ports of Los Angeles," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 46(1), pages 154-175.
    16. Matthew J. Kotchen & Tatyana Deryugina & James H. Stock, 2021. "Introduction to "Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, volume 3"," NBER Chapters, in: Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, volume 3, pages 1-3, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Gong, Yazhen & Li, Shanjun & Sanders, Nicholas J. & Shi, Guang, 2023. "The mortality impact of fine particulate matter in China: Evidence from trade shocks," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    18. Trojanowski, Rebecca & Fthenakis, Vasilis, 2019. "Nanoparticle emissions from residential wood combustion: A critical literature review, characterization, and recommendations," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 515-528.
    19. J. Cristobal Ruiz-Tagle & Alejandra Schueftan, 2021. "Nudging for Cleaner Air: Experimental Evidence from an RCT on Wood Stove Usage," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 79(4), pages 713-743, August.
    20. Neidell, Matthew J., 2004. "Air pollution, health, and socio-economic status: the effect of outdoor air quality on childhood asthma," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 1209-1236, November.
    21. Michael L Anderson, 2020. "As the Wind Blows: The Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution on Mortality," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 18(4), pages 1886-1927.
    22. Nathaly M Rivera & Cristobal Ruiz Tagle, Elisheba Spiller, 2021. "The Health Benefits of Solar Power Generation: Evidence from Chile," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2021_04, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    23. Moon Joon Kim, 2021. "Air Pollution, Health, and Avoidance Behavior: Evidence from South Korea," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 79(1), pages 63-91, May.
    24. Courtney J. Ward, 2015. "It's an ill wind: The effect of fine particulate air pollution on respiratory hospitalizations," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 48(5), pages 1694-1732, December.
    25. Karen Clay & Nicholas Z. Muller & Xiao Wang, 2021. "Recent Increases in Air Pollution: Evidence and Implications for Mortality," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 154-162.
    26. Schueftan, Alejandra & González, Alejandro D., 2015. "Proposals to enhance thermal efficiency programs and air pollution control in south-central Chile," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 48-57.
    27. Godzinski, Alexandre & Suarez Castillo, Milena, 2021. "Disentangling the effects of air pollutants with many instruments," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    28. Sager, Lutz, 2019. "Estimating the effect of air pollution on road safety using atmospheric temperature inversions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nathaly M Rivera & Cristobal Ruiz Tagle, Elisheba Spiller, 2021. "The Health Benefits of Solar Power Generation: Evidence from Chile," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2021_04, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).

    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. Wang, Qinyun & Wang, Xuebin & Yan, Qianhui & Zhang, Lvqing, 2024. "Heavy industry regulations, hospitalization, and medical expenditures: Evidence from micro-level medical records in a northeast Chinese city," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    2. Qiu, Yun & Liu, Yunning & Shi, Wei & Zhou, Maigeng, 2024. "The impact of ozone pollution on mortality: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    3. Julia Mink, 2024. "Putting a Price Tag on Air Pollution: The Social Healthcare Costs of Air Pollution in France," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 320, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    4. Shr, Yau-Huo & Hsu, Wen & Hwang, Bing-Fang & Jung, Chau-Ren, 2023. "Air quality and risky behaviors on roads," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    5. Cheung, Chun Wai & He, Guojun & Pan, Yuhang, 2020. "Mitigating the air pollution effect? The remarkable decline in the pollution-mortality relationship in Hong Kong," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    6. Timothy J Halliday & John Lynham & Áureo de Paula, 2019. "Vog: Using Volcanic Eruptions to Estimate the Health Costs of Particulates," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 129(620), pages 1782-1816.
    7. Chen, Siyu & Guo, Chongshan & Huang, Xinfei, 2018. "Air Pollution, Student Health, and School Absences: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 465-497.
    8. Juliana Carneiro & Matthew A. Cole & Eric Strobl, 2024. "Foetal Exposure to Air Pollution and Students' Cognitive Performance: Evidence from Agricultural Fires in Brazil," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 86(1), pages 156-186, February.
    9. Clara Kögel, 2022. "The impact of air pollution on labour productivity in France," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 22020, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    10. Colmer, Jonathan & Lin, Dajun & Liu, Siying & Shimshack, Jay, 2021. "Why are pollution damages lower in developed countries? Insights from high-Income, high-particulate matter Hong Kong," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Bagilet, Vincent & Zabrocki-Hallak, Léo, 2022. "Why Some Acute Health Effects of Air Pollution Could Be Inflated," I4R Discussion Paper Series 11, The Institute for Replication (I4R).
    12. Wen Hsu & Bing-Fang Hwang & Chau-Ren Jung & Yau-Huo Jimmy Shr, 2021. "Can Air Pollution Save Lives? Air Quality and Risky Behaviors on Roads," Papers 2111.06837, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2021.
    13. Mariano J. Rabassa & Mariana Conte Grand & Christian M. García-Witulski, 2021. "Heat warnings and avoidance behavior: evidence from a bike-sharing system," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(1), pages 1-28, January.
    14. Blundell, Wesley & Kokoza, Anatolii, 2022. "Natural gas flaring, respiratory health, and distributional effects," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    15. Margaryan, Shushanik, 2021. "Low emission zones and population health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    16. Diane Alexander & Hannes Schwandt, 2022. "The Impact of Car Pollution on Infant and Child Health: Evidence from Emissions Cheating [Management and Shocks to Worker Productivity]," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(6), pages 2872-2910.
    17. Giaccherini, Matilde & Kopinska, Joanna & Palma, Alessandro, 2021. "When particulate matter strikes cities: Social disparities and health costs of air pollution," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    18. Yao, Yao & Li, Xue & Smyth, Russell & Zhang, Lin, 2022. "Air pollution and political trust in local government: Evidence from China," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    19. Xin Zhang & Xun Zhang & Yuehua Liu & Xintong Zhao & Xi Chen, 2023. "The morbidity costs of air pollution through the Lens of Health Spending in China," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1269-1292, July.
    20. Chen, Yulong, 2024. "Early exposure to air pollution and cognitive development later in life: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:hlthec:v:33:y:2024:i:3:p:482-508. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749 .

    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.