BENMAP – U.S. EPA’S BENEFITS ESTIMATION TOOL FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Abstract:

The Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) is U.S. EPA’s economic model for estimating the health impacts and economic values associated with changes in air pollution. BenMAP’s flexibility allows users to input their own site-specific data on pollutant type, ambient concentrations, demographics, health, and valuation in order to create, utilize, and visualize maps of air pollution, population, incidence rates, incidence rate changes, economic valuations, and other types of data. BenMAP has been demonstrated in India and Taiwan, and can be used for a variety of air quality management purposes in an Asian context, including: (a) generating population/community level ambient pollution exposure maps; (b) comparing benefits associated with regulatory programs; (c) estimating health impacts and costs of existing air pollution concentrations; (d) estimating health benefits of alternative ambient air quality standards; and (e) performing sensitivity analyses of health or valuation functions, or of other inputs. A wide range of persons can use BenMAP, including scientists, policy analysts, and decision makers. Recently, the model has been applied in China to estimate health impacts of reducing sulfur dioxide emissions by 10% from the power sector. Based on lessons learned in that exercise, a new, simplified version of the model is being considered for use in limited data analyses. This would help minimize the front end requirements for site specific data on health effects and valuation.