OBJECTIVES: The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a pioneer for air pollution control in China. This study investigated the health and economic benefits of air pollution control measures in Shenzhen, which has made great achievement in air quality improvement, aiming to empirically demonstrate the health and economic significance of air pollution control.

METHODS: The pollutants PM_2.5 and O₃ were selected as the main focuses of our analysis, and the proportional hazards model based on Poisson regression, the statistical life value, the cost of illness and the willingness-to-pay method were all employed to assess the health-economic benefits of air pollution control from 2014 to 2022, and to further quantify the impacts of short-term public health policies on air quality and social health-economic burdens.

RESULTS: Prior to COVID-19, health hazards and economic burdens caused by PM_2.5 declined significantly as air quality improved, as premature deaths reduced by a total of 1,759 (95% Cl: 867-2,624) and $27.97 million (95% Cl: $13.89-41.39 million) was saved in economic costs. However, the health hazards and economic burden caused by O₃ had shown a fluctuating upward trend. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government had implemented strict lockdown policies, which indirectly reduced health hazards and economic burdens caused by various pollutants.

CONCLUSIONS: The effective implementation of air pollution control policies can help reduce health hazards and health economic burdens. Governments should recognize the effects and consequences of public health policy implementation, and strengthen the transparency and effectiveness of public health policymaking, thus safeguarding ecological security of China and the world.