| Title: | Human-health impacts of controlling secondary air pollution precursors |
| Author(s): | Pye HOT; Appel KW; Seltzer KM; Ward-Caviness CK; Murphy BN; |
| Address: | "Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW Alexander Dr, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Postdoctoral Fellow in the Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 TW Alexander Dr, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA. Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 104 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00798 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 2328-8930 (Print) 2328-8930 (Electronic) |
| Abstract: | "Exposure to ozone and fine particle (PM(2.5)) air pollution results in premature death. These pollutants are predominantly secondary in nature and can form from nitrogen oxides (NO(X)), sulfur oxides (SO(X)), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Predicted health benefits for emission reduction scenarios often incompletely account for VOCs as precursors as well as the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) component of PM(2.5). Here, we show that anthropogenic VOC emission reductions are more than twice as effective as equivalent fractional reductions of SO(X) or NO(X) at reducing air pollution-associated cardiorespiratory mortality in the United States. A 25% reduction in anthropogenic VOC emissions from 2016 levels is predicted to avoid 13,000 premature deaths per year, and most (85%) of the VOC-reduction benefits result from reduced SOA with the remainder from ozone. While NO(X) (-5.7 +/- 0.2 % yr(-1)) and SO(X) (-12 +/- 1 % yr(-1)) emissions have declined precipitously across the U.S. since 2002, anthropogenic VOC emissions (-1.8 +/- 0.3 % yr(-1)) and concentrations of non-methane organic carbon (-2.4 +/- 1.0 % yr(-1)) have changed less. This work indicates preferentially controlling VOCs could yield significant benefits to human health" |
| Notes: | "PubMed-not-MEDLINEPye, Havala O T Appel, K Wyat Seltzer, Karl M Ward-Caviness, Cavin K Murphy, Benjamin N eng EPA999999/ImEPA/Intramural EPA/ 2022/03/29 Environ Sci Technol Lett. 2022 Feb 8; 9(2):96-101. doi: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00798" |
