The implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will provide quantifiable public health benefits and cost savings through improved air quality for a transit corridor of the congested city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, according to a study conducted by Abt Associates, Bethesda, MD, for the Asian Development Bank.

According to the study, the better air quality resulting from BRT would lead to 798 fewer premature deaths for adults over age 30 and 55 fewer premature deaths for children under age 5, while the number of cases of chronic bronchitis in adults over age 25 would drop by more than 800. Abt also found that the BRT project would yield to monetized benefits of $116 million by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing health outcomes.

To conduct the study, Abt Associates measured changes in emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases; air quality, with a focus on fine particulate matter; and health outcomes. Researchers applied tools and methods from its Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program, a state-of the-art environmental and health impacts and benefits assessment model designed for the Environmental Protection Agency to estimate benefits associated with air pollution reduction strategies.

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