title: Socio-economic costs of indoor air pollution: A tentative estimation for some pollutants of health interest in France.
abstract: An evaluation of the socio-economic costs of indoor air pollution can facilitate the development of appropriate public policies. For the first time in France, such an evaluation was conducted for six selected pollutants: benzene, trichloroethylene, radon, carbon monoxide, particles (PM2.5fraction), and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The health impacts of indoor exposure were either already available in published works or were calculated. For these calculations, two approaches were followed depending on the available data: the first followed the principles of quantitative health risk assessment, and the second was based on concepts and methods related to the health impact assessment. For both approaches, toxicological data and indoor concentrations related to each target pollutant were used. External costs resulting from mortality, morbidity (life quality loss) and production losses attributable to these health impacts were assessed. In addition, the monetary costs for the public were determined. Indoor pollution associated with the selected pollutants was estimated to have cost approximately €20 billion in France in 2004. Particles contributed the most to the total cost (75%), followed by radon. Premature death and the costs of the quality of life loss accounted for approximately 90% of the total cost. Despite the use of different methods and data, similar evaluations previously conducted in other countries yielded figures within the same order of magnitude.
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France. Electronic address: guillaume.boulanger@anses.fr.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Boulanger
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bayeux
authors.affiliation: University of Paris-Est, Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB)/Observatory of Indoor Air Quality, Marne-la-Vallée, France.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mandin
authors.affiliation: University of Paris-Est, Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB)/Observatory of Indoor Air Quality, Marne-la-Vallée, France.
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vergriette
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Maisons-Alfort, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pernelet-Joly
authors.affiliation: University of Paris-Sorbonne 1, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kopp
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics*; D001554:Benzene / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D011788:Quality of Life; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics; D014241:Trichloroethylene / Q000032:analysis / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D014241:Trichloroethylene; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D001554:Benzene; D011886:Radon
keywords: Burden of disease; Cost of illness; Decision making; Health impact assessment