Fetal Exposure to Toxic Releases and Infant Health

20 Pages Posted: 23 Sep 2008 Last revised: 19 Sep 2022

See all articles by Janet Currie

Janet Currie

Princeton University; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Johannes F. Schmieder

Boston University - Department of Economics; IZA; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: September 2008

Abstract

Every year, millions of pounds of toxic chemicals thought to be linked to developmental problems in fetuses and young children are released into the air. In this paper we estimate the effect of these releases on the health of newborns. Using data from the Toxic Release Inventory Program and Vital Statistics Natality and Mortality files, we find significant negative effects of prenatal exposure to toxicants on gestation and birth weight. We also find that several developmental chemicals increase the probability of infant death. The effect is quite sizeable: the reported reductions in cadmium, toluene, and epichlorohydrin releases during the 90s could account for about 3.9 percent of the overall decrease in infant mortality. Our results are robust to several specification checks, such as comparing developmental to non-developmental chemicals, and fugitive air releases to stack air releases.

Suggested Citation

Currie, Janet and Schmieder, Johannes F., Fetal Exposure to Toxic Releases and Infant Health (September 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14352, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1271384

Janet Currie (Contact Author)

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HOME PAGE: http://www.princeton.edu/~jcurrie

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Johannes F. Schmieder

Boston University - Department of Economics ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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