Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BEST-COST (Burden of disease based methods for estimating the socio-economic cost of environmental stressors)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2024-07-01 do 2025-12-31
Climate change poses a significant threat to Europe, with environmental stressors like air and noise pollution leading to an estimated 400,000 and 12,000 premature deaths, respectively. To safeguard future generations, European countries must prioritize evidence-based policies to address these issues, yet current policy making struggles with methodological challenges in quantifying socioeconomic costs and the unequal distribution of impacts across communities.
The BEST-COST project aims to develop integrated, consensus-driven methods for assessing the socio-economic impact and disease burden of environmental stressors. The project will produce open-access tools to estimate the burden of disease, socioeconomic costs, and social inequalities, starting with the harmonization of methods for health impact assessment, burden monetization, and inequality measurement. These novel methodologies will be tested in five EU countries and made available via open-access code, with the goal of ensuring their applicability to other environmental stressors and regions.
BEST-COST aims to enhance the ability of policymakers, regulators, and citizens to make informed decisions about environmental and socioeconomic risks, leading to more evidence-based policies at both EU and national levels. In the long term, the project is expected to contribute to reducing the burden of disease and environmental inequalities, and to fostering healthier, more equitable, and sustainable living and working environments.
The BEST-COST project aims to develop integrated, consensus-driven methods for assessing the socio-economic impact and disease burden of environmental stressors. The project will produce open-access tools to estimate the burden of disease, socioeconomic costs, and social inequalities, starting with the harmonization of methods for health impact assessment, burden monetization, and inequality measurement. These novel methodologies will be tested in five EU countries and made available via open-access code, with the goal of ensuring their applicability to other environmental stressors and regions.
BEST-COST aims to enhance the ability of policymakers, regulators, and citizens to make informed decisions about environmental and socioeconomic risks, leading to more evidence-based policies at both EU and national levels. In the long term, the project is expected to contribute to reducing the burden of disease and environmental inequalities, and to fostering healthier, more equitable, and sustainable living and working environments.
During Period 2, efforts concentrated on finalising the development of novel methodologies to assess the socioeconomic burden associated with environmental stressors, alongside launching the corresponding case studies and transferability actions designed to pilot these approaches.
A core computational infrastructure for quantifying and monetising DALYs was set up. A structured and fully documented R package, including programming, package architecture, and debugging was developed with methodological input and validation from consortium partners.
A comprehensive testing strategy was implemented, including quantitative validation checks, as well as verification of package-specific error and warning handling.
EBoD calculation methods were operationalised and partners trained in the R package. Input data were identified in consultation with stakeholders and acquired for Norway, Belgium, France, Estonia, and Portugal. The lowest feasible geographical resolution was defined for each country, and initial estimates—such as YLL due to ischaemic heart disease attributable to PM2.₅—were completed. Development and validation of the BEST-COST Multiple Deprivation Index progressed, including indicator harmonisation, robustness and validity testing, and manuscript drafting, with finalisation expected in early 2026.
For the health impact assesment, two interventions—traffic reduction measures and freight modal shift—were selected. Emission modelling, exposure scenarios, and cost compilation are ongoing, with analyses focused on a single 2023–2030 timeframe to test the BEST-COST HIA framework.
To transfer the methodologies to other stressors and other countries and ensure that they are useful, usable and used, the key methodological challenges were defined in transferring EBD approaches beyond air pollution and noise.
Two case studies addressed phthalates, including meta-analytic evidence and EBD calculations for DBP and preterm birth, and DMP and diabetes. Transferability to green space was explored through an expert workshop.
A core computational infrastructure for quantifying and monetising DALYs was set up. A structured and fully documented R package, including programming, package architecture, and debugging was developed with methodological input and validation from consortium partners.
A comprehensive testing strategy was implemented, including quantitative validation checks, as well as verification of package-specific error and warning handling.
EBoD calculation methods were operationalised and partners trained in the R package. Input data were identified in consultation with stakeholders and acquired for Norway, Belgium, France, Estonia, and Portugal. The lowest feasible geographical resolution was defined for each country, and initial estimates—such as YLL due to ischaemic heart disease attributable to PM2.₅—were completed. Development and validation of the BEST-COST Multiple Deprivation Index progressed, including indicator harmonisation, robustness and validity testing, and manuscript drafting, with finalisation expected in early 2026.
For the health impact assesment, two interventions—traffic reduction measures and freight modal shift—were selected. Emission modelling, exposure scenarios, and cost compilation are ongoing, with analyses focused on a single 2023–2030 timeframe to test the BEST-COST HIA framework.
To transfer the methodologies to other stressors and other countries and ensure that they are useful, usable and used, the key methodological challenges were defined in transferring EBD approaches beyond air pollution and noise.
Two case studies addressed phthalates, including meta-analytic evidence and EBD calculations for DBP and preterm birth, and DMP and diabetes. Transferability to green space was explored through an expert workshop.
The BEST-COST project has advanced the state of the art in several areas:
- Innovative Disease Models: Developed models for air pollution and noise that focus on risk factor-outcome pairs with strong causal evidence, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of burden of disease (BoD) estimates.
- Exposure-Response Functions: Created global and European exposure-response functions using MR-BRT modeling, a major step in integrating environmental noise into global health studies like the Global Burden of Disease (GBD).
- Methodologies for Correlated Exposures: Explored new methods to assess the combined effects of multiple environmental exposures, addressing a key gap in current health impact assessments.
- Indoor Exposure Assessment: Developed models for assessing indoor exposure to outdoor pollutants, particularly through the adaptation of the HealthVent model, offering new insights into indoor air quality management.
- Monetization of Health Impacts: Expanded systematic reviews and developed new guidelines for cost assessment and discounting, crucial for the economic evaluation of environmental health risks.
- Social Inequality in Health Impacts: Introduced a European deprivation index at a small geographical level and integrated social inequalities into environmental impact assessments, providing innovative tools that could significantly influence policy and practice.
To ensure further uptake and success, the project highlights the need for continued research to refine exposure-response functions and disease models, alongside the development of commercial tools and supportive regulatory frameworks to integrate findings into EU standards. Expanding applicability across different contexts and securing access to markets and finance are also crucial for wider adoption.
- Innovative Disease Models: Developed models for air pollution and noise that focus on risk factor-outcome pairs with strong causal evidence, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of burden of disease (BoD) estimates.
- Exposure-Response Functions: Created global and European exposure-response functions using MR-BRT modeling, a major step in integrating environmental noise into global health studies like the Global Burden of Disease (GBD).
- Methodologies for Correlated Exposures: Explored new methods to assess the combined effects of multiple environmental exposures, addressing a key gap in current health impact assessments.
- Indoor Exposure Assessment: Developed models for assessing indoor exposure to outdoor pollutants, particularly through the adaptation of the HealthVent model, offering new insights into indoor air quality management.
- Monetization of Health Impacts: Expanded systematic reviews and developed new guidelines for cost assessment and discounting, crucial for the economic evaluation of environmental health risks.
- Social Inequality in Health Impacts: Introduced a European deprivation index at a small geographical level and integrated social inequalities into environmental impact assessments, providing innovative tools that could significantly influence policy and practice.
To ensure further uptake and success, the project highlights the need for continued research to refine exposure-response functions and disease models, alongside the development of commercial tools and supportive regulatory frameworks to integrate findings into EU standards. Expanding applicability across different contexts and securing access to markets and finance are also crucial for wider adoption.