Hunger or Illness? a trade-off on fertilizer use

• Published in: Ecological indicators Vol. 166; p. 112432
• Main Authors: Ai, Hongshan, Fan, Bo, Zhou, Zhengqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2024; Elsevier
• Subjects: Fertilizer; Medical expenditure; Rural China; Medical expenditure; Rural China; Fertilizer
• ISSN: 1470-160X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112432

•This paper estimates the relationship between the fertilizer application and medical expenditure.•We identify the effects of fertilizer by distinguishing the food crop and economic crop.•We found that drinking water is one of the channels for disease, and drinking safe water can reduce medical expenses by 0.032%.•We estimate that fertilizer pollution caused a social welfare loss of $678 million, approximately 13% of these economic benefits. Although fertilizer can help alleviate hunger, it can also lead to disease. Using data from the National Fixed-Point Survey spanning from 1998 to 2017, we aimed to determine the impact of fertilizer use on healthcare costs. Our findings indicate that a ten percent increase in fertilizer use is responsible for a 0.63 percentage point rise in medical service fees, which translates to a staggering $678 million in medical expenses. Through an analysis of the various channels of pathogenic exposure, we discovered that food crops and drinking water are the primary sources of contamination. This implies that different rural environments, including fertilizer types, villages, terrain, and water sources, can exacerbate the negative effects of fertilizer use. Our research underscores the need for policymakers to consider compensating farmers who suffer from fertilizer pollution and incur health-related losses.