Comparison of private and social costs of air pollution in the industrial zone of Guadalajara

Abstract

The urban environment of a city is a reflection of the lifestyle of the social group that constitutes it; the harmony between modernity and the conservation of the environment requires the will of the authors to develop their projects and, at the same time, to preserve an orderly physical environment where the functioning of economic and social activities can interact with the environment. Industrial activity, in particular, is acquiring great importance today, not only because of the spectacular growth rates in production due to new technologies and the emergence of scientific and economic competition, but also because it causes, on the one hand, environmental degradation as a consequence of the intensive and irrational use of natural resources, and on the other, the loss of the health of the beings living in the areas of intensive economic activity.

The transformation of raw materials from industrial processes generates substances that can be harmful to health in different circumstances, such as chemical compounds, fumes, dust, particles, etc., which are released into the environment. These actions generate costs for businessmen, authorities and health institutions (public and private), as well as for the population in general, increasing in areas of industrial settlements and their zones of influence; such is the case of the industrial zone of Guadalajara (ZIG).

This article presents a descriptive analysis of some of the results of the field work carried out in the ZIG; on the one hand, the analysis refers to the costs for companies of controlling air pollution in terms of equipment acquisition and maintenance, and also the estimated cost of work incapacity due to respiratory and eye diseases; on the other hand, it shows the interest of the business sector in the industrial zone in preserving the environment and their knowledge of current environmental regulatory laws. The analysis of the social cost is included, which consists of the payment for days of incapacity to work and not the cost generated by the medical assistance provided by the health sector, particularly by the Mexican Social Security Institute (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social).