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Project title

Healthcare costs of poor air quality

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Economic & Social Research Institute (ESRI)

Lead Applicant

Anne Nolan

Project Abstract

The European Environment Agency estimates that 1,300 premature deaths per annum in Ireland are attributable to poor air quality (in particular, fine particulate matter, PM2.5). Furthermore, they estimate that 96 per cent of the EU urban population was exposed to concentrations of PM2.5 above the 2021 WHO guideline of 5 µg/m3 in 2020, even taking account of the COVID-19 lockdowns (European Environment Agency, 2022). While mortality is an important health outcome measure of the burden of air pollution, it is also important to quantify accurately the costs of health care associated with air pollution (Birnbaum et al., 2020). The purpose of this work package would be to estimate the healthcare costs of poor air quality in Ireland, with a particular focus on acute hospital costs, and pharmaceutical costs.1 For the first part of the study, the analysis would build on the work on water-related diseases funded by the EPA in Phase III of the programme, by using the methodology developed by (Griffin & Walsh, 2022) that assessed the acute hospital costs of water-related diseases in Ireland. Data from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE), which contains detailed data on diagnoses, costs and other characteristics (e.g., length of stay) of each inpatient in the 53 public hospitals in Ireland over the period since 20152, will be used to estimate the acute hospital costs of treating patients with diagnoses that are (in part) attributable to poor air quality. In the second part of the study, a similar approach will be taken to estimate pharmaceutical costs, by using data on drug type from the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS). The challenge of both parts of the research will be to identify the hospital diagnoses and pharmaceutical classes that can be linked to poor air quality.3 Where possible, the analyses will try to disaggregate healthcare costs by population group (e.g., under 18, working age, 65+). 1 Ideally, administrative data on costs associated with poor air quality-related visits to general practitioners (GPs) would also be available; in the absence of such data, it may be possible to estimate the number of GP visits associated with air pollution, and to assign a cost to each visit using unit healthcare cost information compiled for Ireland (Smith et al., 2021). 2 Since 2015, a consistent coding scheme has been used for hospital discharges in Ireland. 3 Previous research will be used to guide us on the choice of appropriate hospital diagnoses and pharmaceutical classes (see (Birnbaum et al., 2020) and (World Health Organization, 2013) for examples).

Grant Approved

� -

Research Hub

Healthy Environment

Research Theme

n/a

Start Date

01/08/2022

Initial Projected Completion Date

31/07/2024