The government is considering making wearing face masks mandatory for watching (in-person) sporting events. Because face masks will make it safer to attend sporting events, demand will increase. However, face masks cannot be recycled and the disposal of used face masks is contributing to more environmental damage.
Use the information below to calculate the net benefit of mandatory face masks.
Marginal cost per sporting event: P = 18 + 0.03Q
Demand for sporting events without face masks: P = 247 - 0.02Q
Demand for sporting events with face masks: P = 404 - 0.02Q
Marginal damage from face masks: MD = 0.01E
Emission level from face masks: E = 4620
Emission level without face masks: E = 0