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
temp			09/07/2022 06:58:PM

Project Citation:

Hollingsworth, Alex, Huang, Jiafang, Rudik, Ivan, and Sanders, Nicholas J. Data and Code for: A Thousand Cuts: Cumulative Lead Exposure Reduces Academic Achievement. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-11-21. https://doi.org/10.3886/E179422V1

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

Time Period(s): 2003 – 2014

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Published Versions

V1 [2022-11-21]

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