Fine-scale damage estimates of particulate matter air pollution reveal opportunities for location-specific mitigation of emissions

was responsible for 107, 000 premature deaths in 2011, at a cost to society of 886 billion. Of these deaths, 57% were associated with pollution caused by energy consumption e. g. , transportation (28%) and electricity generation (14%) ; another 15% with pollution caused by agricultural activities. A small fraction of emissions, concentrated in or near densely populated areas, plays an outsized role in damaging human health with the most damaging 10% of total emissions accounting for 40% of total damages. We find that 33% of damages occur within 8 km of emission sources, but 25% occur more than 256 km away, emphasizing the importance of tracking both local and long-range impacts. Our paper highlights the importance of a fine-scale approach as marginal damages can vary by over an order of magnitude within a single county. Information presented here can assist mitigation efforts by identifying those sources with the greatest health effects.