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

51 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2004 Last revised: 6 Sep 2024

See all articles by Janet Currie

Janet Currie

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

Matthew Neidell

Columbia University; University of Chicago - Department of Economics and CISES; PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

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

JEL Classification: Q53, I12, I18

Suggested Citation

Currie, Janet and Neidell, Matthew, Air Pollution and Infant Health: What Can We Learn from California's Recent Experience?. IZA Discussion Paper No. 1056, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=523202

Janet Currie (Contact Author)

Princeton University ( email )

Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States
6092587393 (Phone)

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

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

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Matthew Neidell

Columbia University ( email )

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United States

University of Chicago - Department of Economics and CISES ( email )

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United States

PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

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United States

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