Energy Production and Health Externalities: Evidence from Oil Refinery Strikes in France

Emmanuelle Lavaine and Matthew Neidell

No 18974, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of energy production on newborn health using a recent strike that affected oil refineries in France as a natural experiment. First, we show that the temporary reduction in refining lead to a significant reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. Second, this shock significantly increased birth weight and gestational age of newborns, particularly for those exposed to the strike during the third trimester of pregnancy. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that a 1 unit decline in SO2 leads to a 196 million euro increase in lifetime earnings per birth cohort. This externality from oil refineries should be an important part of policy discussions surrounding the production of energy.

JEL-codes: I12 Q4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-ene and nep-hea
Note: EEE EH
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published as Emmanuelle Lavaine & Matthew Neidell, 2017. "Energy Production and Health Externalities: Evidence from Oil Refinery Strikes in France," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol 4(2), pages 447-477.

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