Business increased pollution control expenditures.

The Commerce Department reported that U.S. businesses spent an estimated $8.4 billion for equipment to control air and water pollution and dispose of solid waste in 1984, a 7.7% increase over the previous year. The 1984 estimate is based on a survey conducted last year of non-farm businesses. A report from the department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said the gain was “part of the resurgence of total capital spending in 1984 rather than a redirection of capital from conventional to pollution abatement purposes.” The proportion of total capital spending that businesses spent on pollution control actually declined--to 2.1% in 1984 from 2.3% in 1983, the report said.