Is industrial pollution detrimental to public health? Evidence from the world’s most industrialised countries

Rahman, Mohammad Mafizur ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7950-1961 and Alam, Khosrul and Velayutham, Eswaran ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2492-5668 (2021) Is industrial pollution detrimental to public health? Evidence from the world’s most industrialised countries. BMC Public Health, 21:1175. pp. 1-11.

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Abstract

Background: Industrial pollution is considered to be a detrimental factor for human health. This study, therefore, explores the link between health status and industrial pollution for the top 20 industrialised countries of the world.

Methods: Crude death rate is used to represent health status and CO2 emissions from manufacturing industries and construction, and nitrous oxide emissions are considered to be indicators of industrial pollution. Using annual data of 60 years (1960–2019), an unbalanced panel data estimation method is followed where (Driscoll, J. C. et al. Rev Econ Stat, 80, 549–560, 1998) standard error technique is employed to deal with heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation and cross-sectional dependence problems.

Results: The research findings indicate that industrial pollution arising from both variables has a detrimental impact on human health and significantly increases the death rate, while an increase in economic growth, number of physicians, urbanisation, sanitation facilities and schooling decreases the death rate.

Conclusions: Therefore, minimisation of industrial pollution should be the topmost policy agenda in these countries. All the findings are consistent theoretically, and have empirical implications as well. The policy implication of this study is that the mitigation of industrial pollution, considering other pertinent factors, should be addressed appropriately by enunciating effective policies to reduce the human death rate and improve health status in the studied panel countries.

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Item Type:	Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Business (18 Jan 2021 -)
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts - School of Business (18 Jan 2021 -)
Date Deposited:	22 Jun 2021 02:17
Last Modified:	16 Aug 2022 04:51
Uncontrolled Keywords:	health status, industrial pollution, unbalanced panel data, industrialised countries, Driscoll and Kraay’s standard error
Fields of Research (2008):	05 Environmental Sciences > 0599 Other Environmental Sciences > 059999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified 11 Medical and Health Sciences > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified 14 Economics > 1403 Econometrics > 140304 Panel Data Analysis 11 Medical and Health Sciences > 1117 Public Health and Health Services > 111717 Primary Health Care
Fields of Research (2020):	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4105 Pollution and contamination > 410599 Pollution and contamination not elsewhere classified 42 HEALTH SCIENCES > 4206 Public health > 420699 Public health not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objectives (2008):	D Environment > 96 Environment > 9601 Air Quality > 960199 Air Quality not elsewhere classified C Society > 92 Health > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920408 Health Status (e.g. Indicators of Well-Being)
Identification Number or DOI:	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11217-6
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/42291

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