Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health

Author(s)
Currie, Janet; Greenstone, Michael; Moretti, Enrico
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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.
Date issued
2011-05
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72069
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Journal
American Economic Review
Publisher
American Economic Association
Citation
Currie, Janet, Michael Greenstone, and Enrico Moretti. “Superfund Cleanups and Infant Health.” American Economic Review 101.3 (2011): 435–441. Web. © 2011 AEA.
Version: Final published version
ISSN
0002-8282
1944-7981
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