Assessing health impacts of air pollution from electricity generation: the case of Thailand

We apply the impact pathway approach (IPA) to estimate health impacts and corresponding damage costs of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and emissions of fine particulate matter (PM10) from four power units using different fuels (lignite, oil, natural gas, and coal) at four locations in Thailand. The results show that the damage costs related to health effects of electricity generation in Thailand are relatively small, but not negligible, ranging from 0.006 U.S. cent to 0.05 U.S. cent per kilowatt-hour (in 1995 dollars). Damage costs to the public health due to SO2 and PM10 emissions from electricity generation not only depend on fuel and generating technology but also depend strongly on power plant location. This implies that the assessment of adverse health impacts is very important for technology choice and siting of new power plants.