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 he economic value of the public health and environmental
benefits that Americans enjoy from the Clean Air Act Amendments
of 1990 exceed their costs by a margin of four-to-one, according
to a new EPA study. The report projects that the Clean Air Act
Amendments and their associated programs prevent thousands of
premature deaths related to air pollution, and millions of asthma
attacks as well as a wide range of additional human health and
ecological effects.
 "This
Administration has enacted the most stringent public health and
environmental standards ever while creating unprecedented economic
growth," said President Bill Clinton. "This report
further demonstrates that public health and environmental benefits
can be achieved along with economic benefits, and this Administration
will continue to work aggressively to protect the air we breathe,
the water we drink, and the land on which we live."
Using a sophisticated
array of computer models and the latest emissions and cost data,
the EPA study shows that in the year 2010 the Amendments of 1990
will prevent 23,000 Americans from dying prematurely, and avert
over 1,700,000 incidences of asthma attacks and aggravation of
chronic asthma. In addition, in 2010, they will prevent 67,000
incidences of chronic and acute bronchitis, 91,000 occurrences
of shortness of breath, 4,100,000 lost work days, and 31,000,000
days in which Americans would have had to restrict activity due
to air pollution related illness. Plus, 22,000 respiratory-related
hospital admissions would be averted, as well as 42,000 cardiovascular
(heart and blood) hospital admissions, and 4,800 emergency room
visits for asthma.
The report,
the most comprehensive and extensive assessment of the 1990 Clean
Air Act Amendments ever conducted, was the subject of extensive
peer review, during which independent panels of distinguished
economists, scientists, and public health experts provided in-depth
assessment and advice throughout the study's design, implementation,
and documentation.
For those
health and ecological benefits which could be quantified and
converted to dollar values, EPA's best estimate is that in 2010
the benefits of Clean Air Act programs will total about $110
billion. This estimate represents the value of avoiding increases
in illness and premature death that would have prevailed without
the clean air standards and provisions required by the Amendments.
By contrast, the detailed cost analysis conducted for this new
study indicates that the costs of achieving these health and
ecological benefits are likely to be only about $27 billion,
a fraction of the economic value of the benefits.
That report
notes that, beyond the quantified human health benefits, there
are a wide range of additional human health and environmental
benefits that scientists and economists cannot yet quantify and
express in dollar terms. These include the control of cancer-causing
air toxics as well as benefits to crops and ecosystems of reducing
pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter.
The study
is the second in a series of EPA cost/benefit Reports to Congress,
examining the effects of the Clean Air Act on the US economy,
public health, and the environment. The first study, a retrospective
assessment released in October 1997, found that the benefits
of 1970 to 1990 clean air programs greatly exceeded costs. 
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epa.gov. For further technical information, contact Jim Democker at 202-564-1673, or email at: democker.jim