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

描述(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恶化有关。发电厂还排放低水平的铀、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、智力低下、自闭症和失明。本文研究了20世纪90年代美国发电站所在社区的房价和人口特征，并使用1990年和2000年受限人口普查微观数据中的家庭层面数据进行了比较，以衡量这些健康风险的价值，并评估它们在当地人口中的分布。受限制的人口普查微观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。这项研究与评估一系列影响发电厂选址时间、地点和方式的环境和健康政策以及应采取哪些步骤来减轻相关的健康影响有关。与公共卫生相关：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。本文研究了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，并评估它们在当地人口中的分布。这项研究与评估一系列影响发电厂选址时间、地点和方式的环境和健康政策以及应采取哪些步骤来减轻相关的健康影响有关。

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.