Cost of near-roadway and regional air pollution-attributable childhood asthma in Los Angeles County.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Emerging evidence suggests that near-roadway air pollution (NRP) exposure causes childhood asthma. The associated costs are not well documented.

Objective

We estimated the cost of childhood asthma attributable to residential NRP exposure and regional ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in Los Angeles County. We developed a novel approach to apportion the costs between these exposures under different pollution scenarios.

Methods

We integrated results from a study of willingness to pay to reduce the burden of asthma with results from studies of health care use and charges to estimate the costs of an asthma case and exacerbation. We applied those costs to the number of asthma cases and exacerbations caused by regional pollution in 2007 and to hypothet

SUBMITTER: Brandt S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4257136 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature