Overall, this study contributes novel evidence to the emerging literature link- ing environmental exposure to behavioral and societal outcomes. The study findings demonstrate that air pollution is a signifi- cant public health concern that could be associated with broader social dynamics,
including crime. This finding reinforces the need to conceptualize environmental policy within a wider socioeconomic and behav- ioral framework, where improvements in air quality could yield multidimensional ben- efits beyond traditional environmental and health domains.
Corresponding Author: Sadiq Melhim, MA; Department of Economics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada; and International Economics Department, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Doha, Qatar. Email: sadiqmelhim@gmail.com, smelhim@ uwaterloo.ca, sm3837@georgetown.edu
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October 2026 • Journal of Environmental Health
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