Today’s Managing Health Care Costs Number is $80 million
The scandal enveloping Volkswagen, AG, which has programmed its diesel autos to mislead emission checks and cause as much as 40 times more nitrogen oxide (NOX) pollution as advertised, is a reminder to us that environmental issues are themselves a driver of health care costs.
Michael Greenstone of MIT calculated that this additional pollution was probably responsible for about $80 million in extra medical costs since 2009. The New York Times estimated that the excess pollution led to about 106 extra deaths. Neither the costs nor the death tolls are huge in the context of our economy and our population. But, still. People died who didn’t have to, and health care cost more than it should have.
The Volkswagen story will stay in the news for years, as the company faces massive EPA fines and substantial liability from Volkswagen owners as well as shareholders. Air pollution has been shown to increase asthma, obstructive lung disease, and heart attacks, and cleaner air has added as many as 5 years to the lives of newborns in regions of West Virginia.
There is a tragedy playing out in Flint, Michigan, that will get far less attention – but will gravely impact children there for the rest of their lives. The city began to draw drinking water from the Flint River – and the water was corrosive. It leached heavy metals from pipes and seams, and delivered high doses of lead to unsuspecting families.
Lead is an awful toxin – it leads to severe loss of intelligence in children, and brain lead concentration is probably responsible for a substantial amount of violence. Many researchers believe that the dramatic drop in crime since the 1980s was largely due to a decrease in lead poisoning. Prohibiting leaded gas meant that lead levels in the air decreased by 92%. The new and totally preventable lead poisoning in Flint will cost millions in health care dollars, and will hurt residents and those around them for decades or longer.
