Evaluation of the air quality benefits of the subway system in São Paulo, Brazil

Air pollution is a severe problem in major urban areas due to increasing numbers of vehicles, reduced road capacity and few investments in public transportation, especially in developing countries. Public transportation has a special role in avoiding congestion and consequent environmental and health impacts but is considered expensive.The objective of this paper was to analyze the benefits of the São Paulo subway in terms of the air pollution in the city through strikes events, analyzing both the health outcomes and the related economic burden. for the strike events, increases in air pollutant concentrations during the strike day was observed when compared to a similar day in terms of day of the week and meteorological conditions. Increases in mortality were also observed and the associated economic burden calculated. Despite the elevated construction and operation costs of the subway, when environment and social values are considered, cost-benefit analysis results would indicate a worthwhile investment. the consideration of these aspects is essential to sustainable transportation analyses, and in the case of the São Paulo subway, our analysis clearly demonstrated the important role of this system in the city's environmental, social and economic attributes. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Companhia Metropolitano São Paulo Metro, Dept Sistemas Gestao & Sustentabilidade, BR-01304902 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, BR-09972270 Diadema, SP, BrazilFac Med USP, Dept Patol, BR-01246903 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, BR-09972270 Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc