為了經濟發展與國民生活水準提升，工業化時代到來是時勢所趨，但伴隨著工業化所帶來對環境之影響亦是另一項重要課題，尤其是空氣污染之嚴重性，更是明顯且令人直接感受到不舒服。而呼吸道疾病更是嚴重受到空氣污染影響，呼吸不乾淨的空氣容易引起或加劇肺癌、肺炎、氣喘和結核等呼吸疾病。台灣在呼吸道疾病門、住診之費用相當龐大，根據1999年至2006年醫療統計年報顯示，台灣在呼吸道疾病門、住診費用平均每年約有516億元之多。 政府為保障民眾呼吸道健康，歷年來陸續建立空氣品質監控系統，對環境排放量進行監控與管制，並持續投入空氣污染防治費，以改善各縣市空氣品質。根據政府環保歲出預算統計，1999年至2006年，政府平均每年約花費3.2億歲出預算於空氣品質防治，然此空氣品質防治歲處預算與醫療費用相比則明顯偏低。政府若能持續投入改善經費，提升空氣品質，空氣品質之提升應能降低健康醫療費用，則社會成本（空氣品質防治費用與醫療費用之總和）當能因此大為降低。 本研究以三類空氣污染指數資料（環保署環境品質變化資料PSI不良日數比例、環境資料庫與空氣品質年報內之污染物濃度）為分析基礎，結合環保歲出預算資料與行政院衛生署健保醫療支出進行統計分析，藉此了解空氣污染對人體健康之不良影響。經由損害函數法之評估，得出以下幾點：(一)整體PSI不良比率結果顯示，政府空氣品質防治預算，對於呼吸道疾病醫療費用確實有所影響；(二)以環境資料庫與空氣品質年報內之全台污染物濃度進行分析，結果顯示二氧化硫與PM10之迴歸函數符合預期結果；(三)以各空品區之汙染物進行分析，污染物濃度較高地區(如高屏)，結果與PSI不良日數比率對社會成本影響相似；(四)根據污染物具有移動性與地域性之特性進行各空品區與鄰近空品區之擴散效應分析，結果亦顯示出污染物在各空品區平均之後，平均濃度會被臨近空品區拉低，此分析結果不符全台變化，以此推斷污染物濃度似乎對鄰近空品區影響不大。 Industrialization is unavoidable for economic development and living standard increasing. The resulting impact from industrialization, however, is an important issue that should be considered. The severity of air pollution is recognized as obviously and directly uncomfortable for living. Chronic respiratory diseases are seriously influenced by air pollution and the inhalation of unclean air will easily cause or worsen respiratory diseases such as lung cancer, pneumonia, asthma, and tubercle etc. According to the annual medical statistics from 1999 to 2006, average medical expenditure accounts for an enormous number as much as NT$ 51.6 billion in Taiwan. The government has continuously built up supervision system of the air quality annually to monitor and control environment emissions. Abatement fee is also devoted to improve air quality in every city. According to the annual environmental protection statistics from 1999 to 2006, the amount of abatement fee could be as much as NT$ 0.32 billion, an amount that is relatively lower compared to the medical expenditure. If government can keep improving on the abatement budget of air pollution, air quality will therefore be improved and medical expenditure on respiratory diseases will decrease with a resulting decrease in social cost (summation of air pollution abatement fee and medical expenditure). This research employs three different types of air pollution index data (ratio of inferior daily PSI from Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) data bank, environmental database, and density of pollutant from annual report of air quality), data of EPA annual budget, and health insurance and medical expenditure from Department of Health to estimate the influence of air pollution to human healthy. Damage Function Method is used in this research and the estimated results show that (A) ratio of inferior daily PSI suggests a significant influence of government abatement expenditure on medical expenditure of respiratory diseases; (B) regression analysis from environmental database and annual report of air quality show that sulphur dioxide (SO2) and PM10 match the ex ante expectation; (C) analysis on 7 areas of air quality in Taiwan demonstrates a perfect match of influence of PSI to social cost in high pollutant density area; (D) analysis of expansion effect according to mobility of pollutants and geographical characteristics shows that average density of pollutants will be lighter because of the neighboring effects, and the result is contradictory to that of PSI with the implication of a minimal influence of pollutant density to the area of air quality.
