The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gazze, Ludovica; Persico, Claudia; Spirovska, Sandra
• 署名单位: University of Warwick; American University; National Bureau of Economic Research; IZA Institute Labor Economics; University of Wisconsin System; University of Wisconsin Madison
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/723175
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 357-394
• 关键词: birth-order; test-scores; family-size; CHILDREN; peers; achievement; outcomes; school

摘要

Children exposed to pollutants like lead have lower academic achievement and are more likely to engage in risky behavior. However, little is known about whether lead-exposed children affect the long-run outcomes of their peers. We estimate these spillover effects using unique data on preschool blood lead levels (BLLs) matched to education data for all students in North Carolina public schools. We compare siblings whose school-grade cohorts differ in the proportion of children with elevated BLLs, holding constant school and peers' demographics. Having more lead-exposed peers is associated with lower high school graduation and SAT-taking rates and increased suspensions and absences.