Resumo

RODRIGUEZ ACOSTA, Sandra Milena  e  GARCIA TORRES, David Arturo. Health and Environment: Methodological Strategies to Assess the Impact of Environmental Damage on Health. Salud, Barranquilla [online]. 2015, vol.31, n.2, pp.367-384. ISSN 0120-5552.

This paper aims to present different methodologies used to assess the impact of environmental pollution on the health of the population, and some results that have been addressed by the most important studies on the subject. These impacts, known as externalities in economics, become important because when investment decisions are taken, such as the type of technology used in a production process or the location of an electrically plant, it is clear that the society will be interested to know the impacts generated on the environment and health, thus eventually these external effects must be included on the decision-making process. However, the estimation of the effects of pollution on health has a high degree of uncertainty. An important part of that uncertainty is not scientific, but derives from the results of ethical choices and lack of awareness of the future. All this implies a multidisciplinary systems analysis, with input from engineers, public health professionals, epidemiologists, ecologists and economists.

Palavras-chave : externality; economic evaluation; health; environmental pollution.

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