Health benefits of air pollution reduction: Evidence from economic slowdown in India

Olexiy Kyrychenko

Economics & Human Biology, 2024, vol. 55, issue C

Abstract: This paper evaluates health benefits associated with the impact of air pollution reduction on infant mortality in India. Leveraging plausibly exogenous geographic variation in air pollution due to the post-2010 economic slowdown—a period largely overlooked in the literature—I find that improvements in air quality resulted in a significant decline in infant mortality, particularly through respiratory diseases and biological pathways such as in utero and post-birth exposure. The associated health benefits correspond to 1338 saved infant lives, translating to monetary gains of $312.5 million. The paper advances our understanding of the link between air pollution and human health in settings with elevated air pollution and suboptimal regulatory frameworks.

Keywords: Infant mortality; Air pollution; Economic slowdown; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 O13 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:55:y:2024:i:c:s1570677x24000893

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2024.101437

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