Air Pollution and Infant Health: What Can We Learn From California's Recent Experience?

Janet Currie and Matthew Neidell

No 1056, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We examine the impact of air pollution on infant death in California over the 1990s. Our work offers several innovations: First, many previous studies examine populations subject to far greater levels of pollution. In contrast, the experience of California in the 1990s is clearly relevant to current debates over the regulation of pollution. Second, many studies examine a few routinely monitored pollutants in isolation, generally because of data limitations. We examine four "criteria" pollutants in a common framework. Third, we develop an identification strategy based on within zip code variation in pollution levels that controls for potentially important unobserved characteristics of high pollution areas. Fourth, we use rich individual-level data to investigate effects of pollution on infant mortality, fetal deaths, low birth weight and prematurity in a common framework. We find that the reductions in carbon monoxide (CO) and particulates (PM10) over the 1990s in California saved over 1,000 infant lives. However, we find little consistent evidence of pollution effects on fetal deaths, low birth weight or short gestation.

Keywords: infant health; infant mortality; air pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2004-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-env, nep-geo, nep-hea, nep-ltv and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Published - published in: Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2004, 120 (3), 1003-1030

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Related works:
Journal Article: Air Pollution and Infant Health: What Can We Learn from California's Recent Experience? (2005)
Working Paper: Air Pollution and Infant Health: What Can We Learn From California's Recent Experience (2004)
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