The impact of air pollution on petcare utilization

Jarvis, S ORCID: 0000-0001-9039-3407, Deschenes, O ORCID: 0000-0002-8737-0068, Jha, A ORCID: 0000-0001-6393-5397 and Radford, AD ORCID: 0000-0002-4590-1334 (2025) The impact of air pollution on petcare utilization Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122 (40). e2504553122-. ISSN 0027-8424, 1091-6490

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Abstract

Air pollution is one of the leading causes of morbidity and premature mortality globally. A large literature documents the adverse impacts of ambient air pollution on human health. In contrast, there is a lack of comparable research studying the effects of air pollution on animal health. We fill this gap, utilizing 5 y of data on over seven million visits to veterinary practices across the United Kingdom. Leveraging within-city variation in daily monitor-measured air pollution levels, we find that increases in fine particulate matter (i.e., PM<inf>2.5</inf>) are associated with significant increases in the number of vet visits for both cats and dogs. In aggregate, these estimates suggest that reducing ambient PM<inf>2.5</inf> levels to a maximum of 5 mg per cubic meter as recommended by the World Health Organization would result in a 0.7 to 2.5% reduction in vet visits.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Animals, Dogs, Cats, Humans, Air Pollutants, Air Pollution, Environmental Monitoring, Particulate Matter, Pets, United Kingdom
Divisions:	Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences (T&R Staff) Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Infection, Vet & Ecological Sciences > Infection Biology & Microbiomes
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2026 09:53
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2026 09:53
DOI:	10.1073/pnas.2504553122
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3197422
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