Caiazzo, F; Ashok, A; Waitz, I; Yim, SHL; Barrett, SRH
Combustion emissions adversely impact air quality and human health. A multiscale air quality model is applied to assess the health impacts of major emissions sectors in United States. Emissions are classified according to six different sources: electric power generation, industry, commercial and residential sources, road transportation, marine transportation and rail transportation. Epidemiological evidence is used to relate long-term population exposure to sector-induced changes in the concentrations of PM2"5 and ozone to incidences of premature death. Total combustion emissions in the U.S. account for about 200,000 (90% CI: 90,000-362,000) premature deaths per year in the U.S. due to changes in PM2.5 concentrations, and about 10,000 (90% CI: 1000 to 21,000) deaths due to changes in ozone concentrations. The largest contributors for both pollutant-related mortalities are road transportation, causing 53,000 (90% CI:-24,000-95,000) FM2.5-related deaths and 5000 (90% CI:-900 to 11,000) ozonerelated early deaths per year, and power generation, causing 52,000 (90% CI:-23,000-94,000) PM(2.5)related and 2000 (90% CI:-300 to 4000) ozone-related premature mortalities per year. Industrial emissions contribute to 41,000 (90% CI:-18,000-74,000) early deaths from FM15 and 2000 (90% CI:-0 4000) early deaths from ozone. The results are indicative of the extent to which policy measures could be undertaken in order to mitigate the impact of specific emissions from different sectors in particular black carbon emissions from road transportation and sulfur dioxide emissions from power generation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.