Health Benefit Assessment of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for PM2.5 in Taiwan

We used the Impact Pathway Approach to assess the health benefits from the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5 of Taiwan. The results indicated significant health benefits linked to the implementation of NAAQS for air basins in central and southern Taiwan. Meeting the "14+N Air Pollution Control Strategy" air quality targets reduced the mortality risk from PM2.5 by 3,568 people on average. The health benefits from lower medical costs and cost of death was estimated at US$ 8.6 billion, or 1.5% of Taiwan's 2017 GDP. If NAAQS can be achieved through further efforts then mortality risk can be reduced by 6,664 people for estimated health benefits of US$16.1 billion, or 2.8% of Taiwan's 2017 GDP. The findings suggest that air quality standards provide an effective policy with significant health benefits. Combining the results of the cost-benefit assessment in this study with further cost-related data will facilitate a cost-performance analysis of air pollution management policies.