The economic burden of mortality and morbidity due to air pollution in Tehran, Iran: a systematic review

Introduction Today, air pollution is creating a huge economic burden on communities by causing deaths and various diseases. The present study aimed to systematically review the economic burden of mortality and morbidity of air pollution and the methods for measuring these costs in Tehran, Iran. Method A literature search of online databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Embase, and Ovid) was searched through August 1, 2019, by using the appropriate English keywords. Also, Iran Medex, Barkat, and Magiran databases were searched for Persian articles. Results Four English and two Persian studies were included in this review. All the articles investigated the economic burden of mortality due to air pollution, in which five, one, and one studies used value of statistical life, compensation payment, and human capital approach. The economic burden of mortality due to air pollution was estimated at $ 316 million to $ 2630 million. Also, five studies (83%) investigated the economic burden of morbidity due to air pollution, in which three, two, and one studies used the cost of illness, percentage of mortality costs, and willingness to pay methods, respectively. The economic burden of morbidity due to air pollution was estimated at $ 236 million to $ 546 million. Conclusion By systematically reviewing and emphasizing on different methods of measuring the economic burden of mortality and morbidity caused by air pollution, the results show that air pollution is a serious problem in Tehran. Nevertheless, appropriate methods should be used to measure costs to get robust and reliable results.