Brief Ozone Exposure May Lead To Premature Death: Report

Brief exposure to smoggy air not only aggravates respiratory problems, but also contributes to premature deaths, a new National Research Council report concludes. The 13 member academy panel examined short-term exposure - up to 24 hours - to high levels of ozone.

Ozone, a key component of smog is formed from nitrogen oxide and organic compounds that are created by burning fossil fuels. It clearly demonstrates as a yellow haze or smog that lingers in the air.

Ozone exposure is a leading cause of respiratory illnesses in the elderly and children. While, the premature deaths from ozone exposure is greater among individuals with pre-existing diseases and other factors that could increase their susceptibility, such deaths are not restricted to people who are at a high risk of death within a few days, the study notes.

"The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths," the 13-member panel reports.

“Studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing illness, hospitalization and can potentially lead to death," it adds.

Policy making:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asked a 13 member committee to analyze the ozone-mortality link and assess methods for assigning a monetary value to lives saved for the health-benefits assessments.

Analogous to other federal agencies, the EPA is required to carry out a cost-benefit analysis on mitigation actions that cost more than $100 million per year.

Recently, the EPA used the results of population studies to estimate the number of premature deaths that would be avoided by expected ozone reductions for different policy choices and then assigned a monetary value to the avoided deaths by using the value of a statistical life, VSL.

The VSL is derived from studies of adults who indicate the "price" that they would be willing to pay - that is, what benefits or conveniences someone would be willing to forgo - to change their risk of death in a given period by a small amount.

The monetary value of the improved health outcome, or VSL, is based on the value the group places on receiving the health benefit; it is not the value selected by policymakers or experts.

The EPA applies the VSL to all lives saved regardless of the age or health status, so a person who is 80 years old in poor health is estimated to have the same value of a statistical life as a healthy two-year-old.