Cost-Benefit Analysis of Cleaning Up Toxic Sites in Gela and Priolo
Author Information
Author(s): Carla Guerriero, Fabrizio Bianchi, John Cairns, Liliana Cori
Primary Institution: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Hypothesis
What are the monetary benefits of cleaning up contaminated industrial sites in Gela and Priolo?
Conclusion
Effective clean-up of Gela and Priolo should be prioritized as it would be cost beneficial.
Supporting Evidence
- 47 cases of premature death could be avoided each year by removing environmental exposure.
- The potential monetary benefit of removing industrial pollution is €3,592 million in Priolo and €6,639 million in Gela.
- Current clean-up costs are significantly lower than the estimated benefits.
Takeaway
Cleaning up polluted areas can save lives and money, and it's worth spending more to make it happen.
Methodology
A damage function approach was used to estimate health outcomes and monetary benefits from pollution clean-up.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in estimating health outcomes and monetary values due to reliance on existing epidemiological data.
Limitations
The study assumes that excess health outcomes are solely attributable to environmental pressures without establishing causal relationships.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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