[E&S-seminars] March 3 - Air Quality, Infant Mortality and the Clean Air Act, 1970

[Karen Gibson]

Environment and Sustainability Seminar Series
Sponsored by the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment
<http://lfee.mit.edu>


Air Quality, Infant Mortality, and the Clean Air Act of 1970

Michael Greenstone, Associate Professor
Department of Economics

Wednesday, March 3, 2004
12:00 - 1:30 p.m.
E40-496

Abstract
We examine the effects of total suspended particulates (TSPs) air 
pollution on infant health using the air quality improvements induced 
by the 1970 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). This legislation imposed 
strict regulations on industrial polluters in nonattainment' counties 
with TSPs concentrations exceeding the federal ceiling. We use 
nonattainment status as an instrumental variable for TSPs changes to 
estimate their impact on infant mortality changes in the first year 
that the 1970 CAAA was in force. TSPs nonattainment status is 
associated with sharp reductions in both TSPs pollution and infant 
mortality from 1971 to 1972. The greater reductions in nonattainment 
counties near the federal ceiling relative to the attainment' 
counties narrowly below the ceiling suggest that the regulations are 
the cause. We estimate that a one percent decline in TSPs results in 
a 0.5 percent decline in the infant mortality rate. Most of these 
effects are driven by a reduction in deaths occurring within one 
month of birth, suggesting that fetal exposure is a potential 
biological pathway. The results imply that roughly 1,300 fewer 
infants died in 1972 than would have in the absence of the Clean Air 
Act.

Paper available:
http://www.nber.org/papers/w10053.pdf



Light refreshments will be provided.
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_________________________________
Karen  L. Gibson
Program Assistant
MIT Laboratory For Energy and the Environment
77 Massachusetts Avenue, E40-469
(1 Amherst St., E40-469 - for DHL and FedEx)
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Tel:  1 (617) 258-6368; Fax:  1 (617) 258-6590
http://lfee.mit.edu
http://globalsustainability.org
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