Title

Costs of material damage due to air pollution in the United States

Abstract

The paper begins by reviewing the previous nationwide studies in an attempt to interrelate the mass of the pollutant emitted to the cost of damages incurred on certain kinds of materials. Sulfur dioxide, ozone precursors (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds), and particulates are the major pollutants studied, whereas steel, zinc, electrical contacts, paints, textiles, fibers, elastomers, and buildings are the materials affected by these pollutants. Despite the scarce quantitative data, costs are separately assessed evaluating the relative contributions of each pollutant to the damage. Considering the emission statistics, the cost figures are first found in cents per kilogram of the pollutant emitted for the years the studies were held, then inflated to the present value (1990 dollars), using the consumer price index. The sum of the costs of damages incurred on different materials gives the total cost caused by a particular pollutant. Estimates show that the yearly costs due to sulfur dioxide, ozone precursors, and particulate matter will, in 1990 dollars, be ¢59.6-207.7, ¢31.2-50.8, and ¢62.2-98.2 per kg of the pollutant emitted, respectively. If these costs are combined with the total present pollutant emissions, the national cost of material damage will be somewhere between $28.5 and $69.4 billion per year. In the final step, costs are estimated in different pollutant emitting sectors, namely transport, fuel use, industry, solid waste disposal, and other miscellaneous. It is observed that the fuel consuming sector has the highest share with a value of between 51% and 61%. Of this, at least three-quarters are due to electricity generation. In other words, material costs caused by electricity generation will be between $11.0 and $33.2 billion in 1990 dollars. © 1991.

Publication Date

1-1-1991

Publication Title

Renewable Energy

Volume

1

Issue

5-6

Number of Pages

639-648

Document Type

Article

Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-1481(91)90008-D

Socpus ID

0039216629 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/0039216629

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