Air pollution costs California $28 billion a year, according to researchers from California State University, Fullerton.

A new report produced by academics at Cal State warns that air in the South Coast and San Joaquin Valley air basins contributes to over 3,800 premature deaths each year.

“It may be tempting to think California can’t afford to clean up, but, in fact, dirty air is like a $28 billion lead balloon on our economy,” says Jane Hall, lead author of the report (press release). “Given the state of California’s economy, imagine what could be done if that $28 billion was being spent productively.”

Hall and colleagues looked at ozone and fine particulate pollution levels in the South Coast and the San Joaquin Valley areas and modelled the impact of these on human health. The economic impact was then worked out by seeing how many episodes of ill health would have been avoided if federal standards had been met.

The Cal State study says that reaching federal standards on fine particle pollution “would save more lives than reducing the number of motor vehicle fatalities to zero in most of the counties in this study”.

The LA Times notes that the California Air Resources Board will vote in December on proposals to cut emissions from trucks by forcing them to upgrade their engines. “Our board members hear on a regular basis from constituents who are concerned about the costs of regulations, and seldom hear from people concerned about their health because they are collectively and individually not as well organized,” says Mary Nichols, chairman of the board. She added that the new study will “be useful to all of us”.

Over 9,000 pollution-related deaths between 2010 and 2025 would be avoided by passing the tighter regulations, the board believes (Modesto Bee).

“For decades there has been a tug of war over what to do about air pollution,” says Hall (AP). “We are paying now for not having done enough.”

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