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Environment

Benefits of cuts in air pollution outpace costs

February 13, 2006 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 84, Issue 7

Countries and cities around the world can reap significant economic savings if they cut air pollution, says a United Nations Environment Program report released on Feb. 7. Those gains include lower health care costs and fewer premature deaths, primarily from cardiovascular problems. On the basis of studies in the U.S. and Santiago, Chile, UNEP estimates that every dollar spent on controlling air pollution from factories, power plants, and cars produces six dollars in benefits, mainly in health-related gains. In addition, the actual cost of pollution control is often less than what is estimated before abatement takes place, the report adds. Marion Cheatle, of UNEP's Early Warning & Assessment Division, said nearly 800,000 people die prematurely each year worldwide due to urban air pollution. About 65% of those deaths occur in the developing countries of Asia, Cheatle said.

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