The study of health effects on the residents caused by highway mobile source in the central air quality district of Taiwan, ROC

Abstract

This study assesses the externalities in health effect caused by carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NO_X) from highway transport in the central air quality district, Taiwan. The utilization of typical vehicle emissions, dispersion model and monetary valuation had been adapted and integrated from the EU-based IPA. The outputs include the estimated CO quantities were 269 tons and NO_X quantities were 270 tons in 2005. Then, the prediction of the average ambient concentration obtained by combining CALINE-4 and GIS of CO was 5.9ppm and NO_X is 0.22ppm. The results conjectured for high impact area show that the emissions spread to the leeward side of highway. Moreover, the calculation of damage costs based on dose-response functions had been displayed by GIS grid distribution. Particularly, acute mortality caused by nitrogen oxide, dominate in terms of cost. Ultimately, the results have been scaled up nationwide, total environmental externalities due to CO & NO_X were totalized to USD 37.57 million ~ USD 521.21 million standing for 0.07% of the GDP of the study area in 2005.