Lorena Popescu (University of Padua)
Elena Cottini, Luca Salmasi and Gilberto Turati
Residential biomass heating generates over half of PM2.5 emissions in many European countries yet credible causal evidence on its health effects remains limited. Exploiting staggered heating activation across 479 Italian municipalities, we estimate that heating increases PM2.5 by 1927% and NO2 by 1120%. These pollution spikes raise hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction (+17%), STEMI (+18%), and COPD (+23%) during high-pollution winters, with in-hospital mortality from myocardial infarction increasing by 35% in the worst year of exposure. Effects are concentrated in colder regions and among vulnerable populationsolder adults and individuals with low educationbut extend significantly to patients without prior comorbidities, a finding inconsistent with classic mortality displacement narratives. Our findings point to substantially Underestimated health costs of biomass burning, with implications for renewable energy policy Health, Working Conditions and Job Satisfaction