Abstract
This study investigates the effects of concentration of air pollution on assault rates for 204 police districts of South Korea from 2001 to 2018. A series of panel spatial Durbin models for the concentration of ozone, fine dust, and nitrogen dioxide—three key air pollutants of the country—identify the significant impacts of air pollution on assault rates that vary from each other. Ozone is expected to induce more assaults both locally and regionally. Fine dust decreases assault rates of an area and also in neighboring areas. Nitrogen dioxide yields positive effects on the surrounding areas’ assault rates but not in area of pollution itself. Findings of this study suggest the need to incorporate active measures on air pollution and violent crime at both city and inter-city levels. They also propose the active sharing of information on air pollution and crime between cities and regions as a collaborative response.
Highlights
Since the advent of fossil fuel-based combustion engines in the 18th century, cities around the world have enriched themselves through the mass production of goods
This study looks into South Korea where high concentrations of air pollution, which frequently exceed World Health Organization (WHO)’s recommended standards, persist [33,34]
We first identify the spatial autocorrelation of assault rates for each year and select a spatial econometric model based on likelihood ratio (LR) and Wald tests
Summary
Since the advent of fossil fuel-based combustion engines in the 18th century, cities around the world have enriched themselves through the mass production of goods. Small particles generated from the engines’ operation have polluted the earth’s near-surface atmosphere, putting the natural ecosystem and the human species at great risk. The Muse Valley fog of Belgium in 1930, the photochemical smog of Los Angeles in the 1940s, and the Great Smog of London in 1952 are some of the most remembered air pollution incidents that caused countless casualties and damages. Chronic exposure to air pollution is widely known to adversely affect people’s health [1,2]. Ozone induces chest pain, coughing, and nausea. It exacerbates bronchitis, heart disease, emphysema, and asthma [3,4]. High concentrations of nitrogen dioxide lead to chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, pulmonary hemorrhage, and even pulmonary edema. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO)
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