Superfund cleanups and infant health

Janet Currie, Michael Greenstone, Enrico Moretti

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)435-441
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Economic Review
Volume101
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2011
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Economics and Econometrics

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