Impact of Mercury Emissions on IQ and Economic Costs
Author Information
Author(s): Griffiths Charles, McGartland Al, Miller Maggie
Primary Institution: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Hypothesis
Can the economic costs of mercury emissions from U.S. power plants be accurately compared to the benefits of reducing these emissions?
Conclusion
The U.S. EPA's assumptions significantly lower the estimated economic impact of mercury emissions on IQ compared to previous estimates.
Supporting Evidence
- The U.S. EPA's upper bound estimate of benefits from mercury emission reductions is $210 million per year.
- Trasande et al. estimated the economic cost of mercury emissions at $1.3 billion for American power plants.
- Introducing U.S. EPA assumptions decreases Trasande's estimated impacts by up to 98%.
Takeaway
This study looks at how mercury emissions from power plants affect children's IQ and the money lost because of it. It shows that the way we calculate these impacts can change the numbers a lot.
Methodology
The study compares two models: one from Trasande et al. estimating costs of mercury emissions and another from the U.S. EPA estimating benefits from reducing these emissions.
Potential Biases
The assumptions used by both models may not accurately reflect real-world conditions, leading to potential biases in the estimates.
Limitations
The study does not account for other health outcomes from mercury exposure and assumes a threshold for impacts.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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