Working Paper: NBER ID: w17222
Authors: Christopher R. Knittel; Douglas L. Miller; Nicholas J. Sanders
Abstract: Since the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA), atmospheric concentration of local pollutants has fallen drastically. A natural question is whether further reductions will yield additional health benefits. We further this research by addressing two related research questions: (1) what is the impact of automobile driving (and especially congestion) on ambient air pollution levels, and (2) what is the impact of modern air pollution levels on infant health? Our setting is California (with a focus on the Central Valley and Southern California) in the years 2002-2007. Using an instrumental variables approach that exploits the relationship between traffic, ambient weather conditions, and various pollutants, our findings suggest that ambient pollution levels, specifically particulate matter, still have large impacts on weekly infant mortality rates. Our results also illustrate the importance of weather controls in measuring pollution's impact on infant mortality.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I18; Q51; Q53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Traffic congestion (L91) | Increased emissions (F64) |
| Increased emissions (F64) | Ambient pollution levels (Q53) |
| Ambient pollution levels (Q53) | Infant mortality (J13) |
| Traffic congestion (L91) | Ambient pollution levels (Q53) |
| Weather conditions (Q54) | Infant mortality (J13) |
| Pollution (Q53) | Infant mortality (J13) |
| Weather conditions (Q54) | Ambient pollution levels (Q53) |