BenMAP User's Manual

The BenMAP-CE tool estimates the number and economic value of heath impacts resulting from changes in air quality - specifically, ground-level ozone and fine particles.

How does BenMAP-CE estimate health impacts?

A health impact function incorporates four key sources of data: BenMAP-CE uses "health impact functions" that are constructed using information from the published epidemiology literature.

• modeled or monitored air quality changes;
• population;
• baseline incidence rates;
• an effect estimate.

How does BenMAP-CE calculate economic values? 

The program calculates the economic value of air quality change using both “Cost of Illness” and “Willingness to Pay” metrics. The Cost of Illness metric summarizes the expenses that an individual must bear for air pollution-related hospital admissions, visits to the emergency department and other outcomes; this metric includes the value of medical expenses and lost work, but not the value that individuals place on pain and suffering associated with the event. By contrast, Willingness to Pay metrics are understood to account for the direct costs noted above as well as the value that individuals place on pain and suffering, loss of satisfaction and leisure time.