The impact of air pollution on petcare utilization

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., PM2.5) are associated with significant increases in the number of vet visits for both cats and dogs. In aggregate, these estimates suggest that reducing ambient PM2.5 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.