Atmospheric Pollution, Health, and Height in Late Nineteenth Century Britain

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: University of Essex; Australian National University; University of Guelph
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050718000578
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 1210-1247
• 关键词: air-pollution; labor-market; mortality; long; childhood; exposure; IMPACT; CONSEQUENCES; statistics; migration

摘要

In nineteenth century Britain atmospheric pollution from coal-fired industrialization was on the order of 50 times higher than today. We examine the effects of these emissions on child development by analysing the heights on enlistment during WWI of men born in England and Wales in the 1890s. We find a strong negative relationship between adult heights and the coal intensity of the districts in which these men were observed as children in the 1901 census. The subsequent decline in atmospheric pollution likely contributed to the long-term improvement in health and increase in height.