Global analysis of the impacts of air pollution on global health expenditures and implications for sustainable development

Air Pollution, Health Expenditures, and Respiratory Mortality: An Efficiency Analysis of OECD Countries

Air pollution and environmental problems cause respiratory morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of particulate matter (PM2.5), greenhouse gas emissions, and health expenditures on mortality from respiratory diseases in selected OECD countries. This cross-sectional study included 17 OECD countries with complete data for 2023. An input-oriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model was used to assess the efficiency of the countries. PM2.5 emissions, greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂-equivalent), and per capita health expenditure were used as input variables, while mortality from respiratory diseases (per 100,000 inhabitants) was defined as the output variable. The mean efficiency score was 0.733, and six countries were identified as efficient. Tobit regression results indicated that PM2.5 emissions were significantly and negatively associated with super-efficiency scores (β= -0.133, p< 0.05). Health expenditure per capita also showed a negative significant association (β= -0.000114, p= 0.05), while greenhouse gas emissions were not significantly related to super-efficiency scores (p> 0.05). Health expenditures alone may not increase efficiency without effective environmental control strategies. These findings emphasize importance of integrating environmental policies into health system planning to reduce the burden of respiratory diseases.

Beyond Mortality: A Multi-Outcome Assessment of Health Economic Benefits from Air Pollution Control in China.

China has invested heavily in air pollution control in recent years, yet comprehensive assessments of the associated health economic benefits remain limited. Prior research on the health economic benefits of air pollution control has mainly focused on mortality outcomes and PM2.5, which may substantially underestimates the true benefits of clean air policies. This study aims to evaluate the health economic benefits and losses associated with air pollution control by incorporating multiple health outcomes, population groups and air pollutants. We integrate daily mortality, hospital admission and outpatient visits and air pollutant (nitrogen dioxide, ozone [O3] and fine particulate matter) data from 18 cities from 2015 to 2022 to assess the health economic benefits. A generalized additive model was used to estimate concentration-response relationships. Health economic benefits were calculated based on the value of statistical life (VSL) and direct medical costs. Between 2015 and 2022, controlling PM2.5 and NO2 yielded significant health economic benefits across all health outcomes. Air pollution control generated significant health economic benefits across multiple outcomes in Guangdong Province. The total health economic benefits associated with PM2.5 and NO2 were 10,305.35 and 1017.00 million CNY, respectively. In contrast, O3 control yielded negative net benefits across all outcomes. Between 2015 and 2022, the multi-outcome health benefits of controlling PM2.5 exceeded mortality-only estimates by 31.79%, respectively For PM2.5 control, the elderly accounted for over 85% of the mortality-related benefits. These findings highlight the need for coordinated PM2.5-O3 control, the integration of multi-outcome evaluations into policy design, and targeted protection for vulnerable populations particularly the elderly.

Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution Sources, Public Health Impacts, and Data Gaps in Adana Province: Evidence-Based Policy Interventions

This study comprehensively evaluates air pollution in Adana, one of Türkiye’s key industrial, urban, and transportation hubs. Using monitoring data from 2023–2025, the concentrations of major pollutants—PM2.5., PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3—were analyzed. The results were compared with standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Union (EU), and Türkiye’s national regulations, showing that PM2.5 and PM10 thresholds were frequently exceeded at several stations. A significant finding was that data capture rates remained below 60%, indicating reliability gaps in the monitoring infrastructure and weakening evidence-based policymaking. Primary sources of pollution include coal-fired power plants, the use of low-quality fuels, open burning of agricultural residues, and vehicular emissions. These factors are aggravated by Adana’s geographic and meteorological conditions, such as temperature inversions and low wind speeds, which facilitate pollutant accumulation and increase public health risks. Statistical analyses revealed notable rises in SO2 and particulate matter concentrations during winter due to residential heating, coinciding with higher respiratory illness rates. The study recommends reducing coal dependency, expanding access to natural gas, promoting sustainable transportation, restricting agricultural waste burning, and improving data transparency. The Adana case highlights air pollution as both an environmental and social justice issue.

Mitigating environmental public health risks via artificial intelligence: mechanisms and boundary conditions

Background Environmental pollution threatens population health through multiple and overlapping pathways, including gaseous emissions, wastewater discharge, and industrial solid waste. Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve environmental monitoring, energy management, and production optimization, but its broader relationship with multidimensional environmental public health risks remains insufficiently understood. This study examines whether and under what conditions artificial intelligence is associated with lower pollution-related environmental public health risks. Methods Provincial panel data covering 30 regions in China from 2014 to 2023 were analyzed. A multidimensional environmental public health risk index was constructed from carbon dioxide emissions, sulfur dioxide emissions, nitrogen oxide emissions, industrial wastewater discharge, and industrial solid waste. Two-way fixed-effects models were combined with mediation analysis, heterogeneity and marginal-effect analysis, alternative measurement, additional control and winsorization tests, dynamic panel estimation, and a panel threshold model. Results Higher levels of artificial intelligence were associated with lower environmental public health risks in the principal fixed-effects models, and the negative relationship remained consistent across alternative measurement, additional digital-infrastructure controls, winsorization, and concurrent policy specifications. Technological expenditure emerged as an implementation pathway through which digital capability can be translated into monitoring systems, cleaner equipment, and environmental management infrastructure, while green patents reflected a longer-horizon innovation process. Environmental investment strengthened the negative association by providing the financial and physical capacity required for artificial intelligence deployment. Electricity consumption identified greater potential for energy and production optimization, although the contribution of artificial intelligence varied across energy-use conditions. Artificial intelligence remained negatively associated with environmental public health risks across environmental regulation regimes, while its marginal contribution changed non-linearly with regulatory intensity. Conclusion Artificial intelligence functions as a conditional environmental capability rather than an automatic technological solution. Its public health value is more likely to emerge when digital development is supported by technological expenditure, environmental investment, operational implementation, and coordinated regulatory design. These findings provide a multidimensional framework for understanding how artificial intelligence can contribute to pollution-related environmental public health risk mitigation.

Short-term effects of ambient air pollution on mortality and years of life lost in Thailand

Mitigating the Respiratory Health Impacts of Air Pollution on Urban Youth: An Analysis of Policy, Community and Individual Protective Responses

The findings indicate that awareness and personal precautions cannot substitute for source-oriented emission control and an integrated intervention architecture is proposed, combining enforceable urban regulation, school- and community-based risk communication, real-time air-quality information and practical exposure-reduction measures.