The Public Health Benefits of Reducing Fine Particulate Matter through Conversion to Cleaner Heating Fuels in New York City

• Published in: Environmental science & technology Vol. 48; no. 23; pp. 13573 - 13582
• Main Authors: Kheirbek, Iyad, Haney, Jay, Douglas, Sharon, Ito, Kazuhiko, Caputo, Steven, Matte, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 02.12.2014
• Subjects: Adult; Air; Air Pollutants - adverse effects; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution - analysis; Air Pollution - prevention & control; Airborne particulates; Asthma - prevention & control; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data; Emissions; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Heating - methods; Humans; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Models, Theoretical; Neighborhoods; New York City; Outdoor air quality; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Particulate Matter - analysis; Population Density; Poverty; Public Health; Simulation; Toxicology; Urban Population; New York; United States; North America; America; New York City; United States > US; New York City New York; USA, New York, New York City; Human; Sanitary program; Heating; Fine particle; Megacity; Fuel; Aerosols; Air pollution; Urban area; Operation; Public health
• ISSN: 0013-936X; 1520-5851
• DOI: 10.1021/es503587p

In recent years, both New York State and City issued regulations to reduce emissions from burning heating oil. To assess the benefits of these programs in New York City, where the density of emissions and vulnerable populations vary greatly, we simulated the air quality benefits of scenarios reflecting no action, partial, and complete phase-out of high-sulfur heating fuels using the Community MultiScale Air Quality (CMAQ) model conducted at a high spatial resolution (1 km). We evaluated the premature mortality and morbidity benefits of the scenarios within 42 city neighborhoods and computed benefits by neighborhood poverty status. The complete phase-out scenario reduces annual average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) by an estimated 0.71 μg/m3 city-wide (average of 1 km estimates, 10–90th percentile: 0.1–1.6 μg/m3), avoiding an estimated 290 premature deaths, 180 hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and 550 emergency department visits for asthma each year. The largest improvements were seen in areas of highest building and population density and the majority of benefits have occurred through the partial phase out of high-sulfur heating fuel already achieved. While emissions reductions were greatest in low-poverty neighborhoods, health benefits are estimated to be greatest in high-poverty neighborhoods due to higher baseline morbidity and mortality rates.