Data and Code for: A Thousand Cuts: Cumulative Lead Exposure Reduces Academic Achievement

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Alex Hollingsworth, Indiana University; Jiafang Huang, Cornell University; Ivan Rudik, Cornell University; Nicholas J. Sanders, Cornell University

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
JAN 1989.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	666 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM
JAN 1990.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	666.5 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM
JAN 1991.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	669.5 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM
JAN 1992.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	673.5 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM
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JAN 1997.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	660 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM
JAN 1998.xls	application/vnd.ms-excel	681 KB	09/07/2022 02:58:PM

Project Description

Summary:

We study how ambient lead exposure impacts learning in elementary school by leveraging a natural experiment where a large national automotive racing organization switched from leaded to unleaded fuel. We find increased levels and duration of exposure to lead negatively affect academic performance, shift the entire academic performance distribution, and negatively impact both younger and older children. The average treated student in our setting has an expected income reduction of $5,200 in present value terms. Avoiding said treatment has an effect size similar to improving teacher value added by one-fourth of a standard deviation, reducing class size by 3 students, or increasing school spending per pupil by $750. The marginal impacts of lead are larger in impoverished, non-white counties, and among students with greater duration of exposure, even after controlling for the total quantity of exposure.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: lead; air pollution; education; test scores; children

Geographic Coverage: Florida

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Published Versions

V1 [2022-11-21]

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