County IN BRIEF : LOS ANGELES : New Estimates on Clean Air Benefits

An industry-backed economic study has concluded that the savings in medical costs from cleaner air would be much less than estimated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. While the AQMD last year estimated annual savings of $9.4 billion, the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance said this week that the figure would be nearer $1.6 billion. A Cambridge, Mass., consulting firm said the higher figure was based in part on an unproven assumption of high mortality from “particulate matter,” a pollutant that can penetrate the body’s defenses and lodge in the respiratory system. In view of the costs of new air pollution controls and given its findings, the council urged the AQMD to impose only the most “cost-effective” controls.