Environment and air pollution: health services bequeath to grotesque menace

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2015 Mar;22(5):3467-76. doi: 10.1007/s11356-014-3584-2. Epub 2014 Sep 23.

Abstract

The objective of the study is to establish the link between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, industrialization, alternative and nuclear energy, combustible renewable and wastes, urbanization, and resulting impact on health services in Malaysia. The study employed two-stage least square regression technique on the time series data from 1975 to 2012 to possibly minimize the problem of endogeniety in the health services model. The results in general show that air pollution and environmental indicators act as a strong contributor to influence Malaysian health services. Urbanization and nuclear energy consumption both significantly increases the life expectancy in Malaysia, while fertility rate decreases along with the increasing urbanization in a country. Fossil fuel energy consumption and industrialization both have an indirect relationship with the infant mortality rate, whereas, carbon dioxide emissions have a direct relationship with the sanitation facility in a country. The results conclude that balancing the air pollution, environment, and health services needs strong policy vistas on the end of the government officials.

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollution* / analysis
  • Air Pollution* / prevention & control
  • Carbon Dioxide / analysis*
  • Conservation of Natural Resources / statistics & numerical data*
  • Conservation of Natural Resources / trends
  • Energy-Generating Resources / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Services / standards
  • Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Industry / statistics & numerical data
  • Industry / trends
  • Infant
  • Infant Mortality / trends
  • Least-Squares Analysis
  • Life Expectancy / trends
  • Malaysia
  • Models, Statistical*
  • Public Health / statistics & numerical data*
  • Public Health / trends
  • Urbanization / trends
  • Water Purification / standards
  • Water Purification / statistics & numerical data
  • Water Resources / statistics & numerical data

Substances

  • Carbon Dioxide