title: Characterizing the burden of disease of particulate matter for life cycle impact assessment.
abstract: Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) is a major environmental contributor to human burden of disease and therefore an important component of life cycle impact assessments. An accurate PM2.5characterization factor, i.e., the impact per kg of PM2.5emitted, is critical to estimating "cradle-to-grave" human health impacts of products and processes. We developed and assessed new characterization factors (disability-adjusted life years (DALY)/kgPM2.5 emitted), or the products of dose-response factors (deaths/kgPM2.5 inhaled), severity factors (DALY/death) and intake fractions (kgPM2.5 inhaled/kgPM2.5 emitted). In contrast to previous health burden estimates, we calculated age-specific concentration- and dose-response factors using baseline data, from 63 U.S. metropolitan areas, consistent with the U.S. study population used to derive the relative risk. We also calculated severity factors using 2010 Global Burden of Disease data. Multiplying the revised PM2.5dose-responses, severity factors and intake fractions yielded new PM2.5characterization factors that are higher than previous factors for primary PM2.5but lower for secondary PM2.5due to NOx. Multiplying the concentration-response and severity factors by 2005 ambient PM2.5concentrations yielded an annual U.S. burden of 2,000,000 DALY, slightly lower than previous U.S. estimates. The annual U.S. health burden estimated from PM emissions and characterization factors was 2.2 times higher.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Carina J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gronlund
authors.affiliation: Quantis, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sebastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Humbert
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, Physics and Astronomy, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shaked
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Marie S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jolliet
keywords: burden of disease; characterization factor; life cycle impact assessment; particulate matter