The Impact of Air Pollution on Infant Mortality: Evidence from Geographic Variation in Pollution Shocks Induced by a Recession
Michael Greenstone
December 2003
Abstract
The 1981-1982 recession induced substantial variation across sites in air
pollution reductions. This is used to estimate the impact of total suspended
particulates (TSPs) on infant mortality. We find that a 1-percent reduction in
TSPs results in a 0.35 percent decline in the infant mortality rate at the county
level, implying that 2500 fewer infants died from 1980-1982 than would have in
the absence of the TSPs reductions. Most of these effects are driven by fewer
deaths occurring within one month of birth, suggesting that fetal exposure is a
potential pathophysiologicmechanism. The analysis also reveals nonlinear effects
of TSPs pollution and greater sensitivity of black infant mortality at the county
level. Importantly, the estimates are stable across a variety of specifications.
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