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The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom

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  • Ludovica Gazze
  • Claudia Persico
  • Sandra Spirovska

Abstract

Children exposed to pollutants like lead are more disruptive and have lower achievement. However, little is known about whether lead-exposed children affect the long-run outcomes of their peers. We estimate these spillover effects using new data on preschool blood lead levels (BLLs) matched to education data for all students in North Carolina public schools. We compare siblings whose school-grade cohorts differ in the proportion of children with elevated BLLs, holding constant school and peers’ demographics. Having more lead-exposed peers is associated with lower high-school graduation and SAT-taking rates and increased suspensions and absences. Peer effects are larger for same-gendered students.

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  • Ludovica Gazze & Claudia Persico & Sandra Spirovska, 2021. "The Long-Run Spillover Effects of Pollution: How Exposure to Lead Affects Everyone in the Classroom," NBER Working Papers 28782, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28782
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    3. Jessica Sauve‐Syed, 2024. "Lead exposure and student outcomes: A study of Flint schools," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 432-448, March.

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    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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