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  1. Home
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  3. American Economic Review
  4. May 2011
  5. Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health

Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health

  • Janet Currie
  • Michael Greenstone
  • Enrico Moretti
American Economic Review
vol. 101, no. 3, May 2011
(pp. 435-41)
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Abstract

We are the first to examine the effect of Superfund cleanups on infant health rather than focusing on proximity to a site. We study singleton births to mothers residing within 5km of a Superfund site between 1989-2003 in five large states. Our "difference in differences" approach compares birth outcomes before and after a site clean-up for mothers who live within 2,000 meters of the site and those who live between 2,000-5,000 meters of a site. We find that proximity to a Superfund site before cleanup is associated with a 20 to 25% increase in the risk of congenital anomalies.

Citation

Currie, Janet, Michael Greenstone, and Enrico Moretti. 2011. "Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health." American Economic Review, 101 (3): 435-41. DOI: 10.1257/aer.101.3.435

JEL Classification

  • I12 Health Production
  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • Q53 Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling