Measuring the Cost of Environmental Health Risks: Evidence from Neighborhoods Nea

描述（由申请人提供）：燃烧化石燃料的发电厂排放高水平的空气污染物，与呼吸道感染、慢性呼吸道疾病和现有心血管疾病的加重有关。发电厂还会排放少量的铀、钍和其他放射性元素，以及汞和其他重金属。这些有毒污染物与许多严重的健康影响有关，包括认知障碍、智力迟钝、自闭症和失明。本文研究了20世纪90年代美国有发电厂的社区的房价和人口特征，利用1990年和2000年限制性人口普查微数据中的家庭数据，比较了发电厂开业前后的情况，以衡量这些健康风险的价值，并评估其在当地人口中的分布。受限制的人口普查微数据将在密歇根人口普查研究数据中心访问，该项目已经得到人口普查局项目审查委员会的审查和批准。这项研究对于评估影响发电厂选址的时间、地点和方式以及应采取何种措施减轻相关健康影响的各种环境和健康政策具有重要意义。公共卫生相关性：燃烧化石燃料的发电厂排放高水平的空气污染物，与呼吸道感染、慢性呼吸道疾病和现有心血管疾病的恶化有关。本文考察了20世纪90年代发电厂所在社区的房价和人口特征，以衡量这些健康风险的价值，并评估其在当地人口中的分布。这项研究对于评估影响发电厂选址的时间、地点和方式以及应采取何种措施减轻相关健康影响的各种环境和健康政策具有重要意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Fossil fuel burning power plants emit high levels of airborne pollutants associated with respiratory infections, chronic respiratory illness and aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease. Power plants also emit low levels of uranium, thorium, and other radioactive elements as well as mercury, and other heavy metals. These toxic pollutants have been associated with many serious health effects including cognitive impairment, mental retardation, autism and blindness. This paper examines housing prices and demographic characteristics in neighborhoods in the United States where power plants were sited during the 1990s, comparing before and after the plants were opened using household-level data from restricted Census microdata for 1990 and 2000 in order to measure the value of these health risks and to assess their distribution across local populations. The restricted Census microdata will be accessed at the Michigan Census Research Data Center and the project has already been reviewed and approved by the Census Bureau Project Review Committee. The study is relevant for evaluating a wide range of environmental and health policies that affect when, where, and how power plants are sited as well as what steps should be taken to mitigate the associated health impacts. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Fossil fuel burning power plants emit high levels of airborne pollutants associated with respiratory infections, chronic respiratory illness and aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease. This paper examines housing prices and demographic characteristics in neighborhoods where power plants were sited during the 1990s to measure the value of these health risks and to assess their distribution across local populations. The study is relevant for evaluating a wide range of environmental and health policies that affect when, where, and how power plants are sited as well as what steps should be taken to mitigate the associated health impacts.