 Beyond boiling: The effect of in utero exposure to treated tap water on childhood healthLi Li and Yun Xiao Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2023, vol. 119, issue C Abstract: We study the effect of in utero exposure to treated tap water on childhood health in rural China, where boiling water to inactivate disease-causing microorganisms before drinking is common. We exploit the gradual rollout of a rural drinking water program that supplies treated tap water to households. Besides microorganisms, the treatment removes chemical pollutants. We find that exposure to treated tap water in utero increases height at ages 1–11 by 0.3 standard deviations. We also document improvements in other health outcomes at different stages of childhood, as well as a reduction in the incidence of non-waterborne digestive diseases. Improving health by age one and inducing more health investments from parents are two possible channels. Results highlight the importance of removing chemical pollutants from drinking water to protect fetuses from environmental insults. Keywords: Water quality; Tap water; In utero conditions; Childhood health; Child height; Parental investment (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:119:y:2023:i:c:s0095069623000323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102814 Access Statistics for this article Journal of Environmental Economics and Management is currently edited by M.A. Cole, A. Lange, D.J. Phaneuf, D. Popp, M.J. Roberts, M.D. Smith, C. Timmins, Q. Weninger and A.J. Yates More articles in Journal of Environmental Economics and Management from Elsevier |
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