Air pollution and morbidity: evidence from internet search behavior in a panel of 100 Chinese cities

Mingying Zhu () and Anthony Heyes ()
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Mingying Zhu: Nanjing University
Anthony Heyes: University of Birmingham

Empirical Economics, 2025, vol. 68, issue 4, No 12, 1893-1934

Abstract: Abstract We provide linear and nonparametric estimates of the causal impact of short-term exposure to polluted air on the prevalence of cough in a panel of a hundred Chinese cities. In our central estimate, which exploits plausibly exogenous variations in the number of upwind agricultural fires burning in the vicinity as an instrument, we find that a one standard deviation increase in airborne pollution causes a roughly 6% increase in the prevalence of cough in the affected city. Among pollutants, the effect can be tied specifically to particulate matter ( $$PM_{2.5}$$ P M 2.5 ). The results prove resilient in a series of robustness tests and falsification exercises.

Keywords: Air pollution; Health; Agriculture fires; Social cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s00181-024-02688-8

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