DEPARTMENT: Office of Sustainability and Metro Health
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Douglas R. Melnick, ISSP-SA, CNU-A; Dr. Colleen Bridger
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT:
Air Quality Public Health Analysis
SUMMARY:
The Office of Sustainability and the Metro Health retained a consultant to complete an air quality health analysis to estimate the health and cost impacts of ambient ozone pollution to Bexar County residents.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On March 2, 2017, the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) released the "Potential Cost of Nonattainment in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area" outlining the direct and indirect economic costs for non-attainment. Funding to develop the Air Quality Public Health Analysis was allocated by City Council within the FY 2017 Annual Budget to complement the AACOG "Economic Cost of Non-Attainment Study", the SA Tomorrow Sustainability Plan and the Metro Health Strategic Plan. Ordinance 2017-03-09-0165 authorized City staff to award a contract to Ramboll Environ US Corporation to develop the air quality public health analysis.
The goal of the analysis was to estimate the health and cost impacts of changes in outdoor ozone levels on Bexar County residents using the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) model. BenMAP is used by the Environmental Protection Agency for regulatory assessments and is the standard tool for performing this type of analysis. BenMAP uses epidemiological data, ozone monitoring and modeling data, and health and population data to calculate health impacts and the resulting costs. Ramboll Environ estimated the health impacts and associated costs of changes in ozone levels using 2010-2014 ozone monitoring data.
Ozone formed through natural processes in the upper atmosphere is beneficial to life by shielding the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Ozone, at ground-level is harmful to public health, espe...
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