A Thousand Cuts: Cumulative Lead Exposure Reduces Academic Achievement

Alex Hollingsworth, Jiafang Mike Huang, Ivan Rudik and Nicholas J. Sanders

Journal of Human Resources, 2025, vol. 60, issue 3, 950-976

Abstract: We study how lead exposure impacts learning in elementary school using a natural experiment where a national automotive racing organization switched from leaded to unleaded fuel. Increased lead exposure harms academic performance, shifting the entire performance distribution, and negatively impacting both younger and older children. For a given total quantity of exposure, the marginal impacts of lead appear greater when spread over more years. The average treated student loses $5,200 of future income in present-value terms. This effect is similar to reducing class size by three students or increasing school spending per pupil by $750.

JEL-codes: I14 I21 Q51 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0222-12169R2
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