Feb. 6, 2008 — Oregon Environmental Council Publishes First Ever Look at the Annual Costs of Environmental Disease in Oregon

PORTLAND, Ore.—Feb. 6, 2008—Sickness caused by pollution is not only a well-documented health threat to Oregonians, it also costs the state well over a billion dollars a year. The Price of Pollution: Cost Estimates of Environmentally Related Disease in Oregon, a new study by the Oregon Environmental Council, finds that environmentally attributable diseases from sources such as lead, diesel, and mercury cost the state $1.57 billion annually. The estimate for children alone is $1.10 billion per year. This is the first-ever study of the cost of environmental disease for Oregon.

“Environmentally attributable diseases are frequently preventable, placing unnecessary financial and social burdens on the citizens of Oregon,” says report author Renee Hackenmiller-Paradis, PhD, MPH. Specific diseases with well-documented environmental contributors were examined in this study. The diseases included: adult and childhood asthma, adult cardiovascular disease, adult and childhood cancer, childhood lead exposure, birth defects, and neurobehavioral disorders.

Of the diseases studied, childhood lead poisoning was by far the most costly, creating annual lost earnings in Oregon at an estimated at $878.0 million – due in large part to decreased earning potential from loss of IQ. Environmentally attributable cancers cost Oregon at least $131.0 million annually (Oregon had the second highest melanoma mortality rate in the nation in 2002, and the state is consistently among the nation’s top five states for incidence of breast cancer). Some of the other cost estimates per year for specific diseases in Oregon are:

- Adult + childhood asthma: $30.0 million
- Childhood asthma: $27.7 million
- Adult cardiovascular disease: $342.5 million
- Adult + childhood cancer: $131.0 million
- Childhood cancer: $9.2 million
- Childhood lead exposure: $878.0 million
- Birth defects: $2.8 million
- Neurobehavioral disorders: $187.1 million

“For the first time, we have a good understanding of the serious financial implications of allowing pollution to harm human health,” said Andrea Durbin, Executive Director of the Oregon Environmental Council. “These findings amplify the need for our state policy-makers to close the loopholes in our existing chemical policies. We need to become proactive in defending the health of our citizens as well as the economic liabilities caused by pollution.”

Methodology

To calculate this annual cost, the report examined several specific diseases that are caused by environmental contributors. Environmental contributors are chemicals, frequently made by man or unintentionally introduced by man into the environment, which are linked to negative health impacts. Examples of environmental contributors include lead, mercury, certain pesticides, diesel and gasoline exhaust, and PCBs.

The primary model used by the Oregon Environmental Council for this report was based upon Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, et. al. and the 2002 study “Environmental Pollutants and Disease in American Children.” The factors used in the Landrigan et. al. study were developed by a panel of experts using data from the National Academy of Sciences. Follow the embedded links for more information about Dr. Landrigan and the study “Environmental Pollutants and Disease in American Children.”

Where national cost estimates have been used, they have been converted to state estimates based on population data taken from the U.S. Census Bureau. Actual Oregon data on disease rates and costs are utilized whenever available. If state-specific data were not available, the study extrapolated from national estimates, using census data to estimate the Oregon proportion of the U.S. population. This report was reviewed by Stephanie Bernell, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Stephanie Bernell’s contact information is available upon request.

The report is available online at: www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/priceofpollution

About the Oregon Environmental Council

The Oregon Environmental Council safeguards what Oregonians love about Oregon – clean air and water, an unpolluted landscape and healthy food produced by local farmers. For nearly 40 years we’ve been a champion for solutions to protect the health of every Oregonian and the health of the place we call home. Our vision for Oregon includes solving global warming, protecting kids from toxins, cleaning up our rivers, building sustainable economies, and ensuring healthy food and local farms. Find out more at www.oeconline.org.

For More Information:

Oregon Environmental Council
Jeremy Graybill, Communications Director
503-222-1963 ext. 111
jeremyg@oeconline.org