Working Paper: NBER ID: w21578
Authors: Michael L. Anderson
Abstract: There is strong evidence that short-run fluctuations in air pollution negatively impact infant health and contemporaneous adult health, but there is less evidence on the causal link between long-term exposure to air pollution and increased adult mortality. This project estimates the impact of long-term exposure to air pollution on mortality by leveraging quasi-random variation in pollution levels generated by wind patterns near major highways. We combine geocoded data on the residence of every decedent in Los Angeles over three years, high-frequency wind data, and Census Short Form data. Using these data, we estimate the effect of downwind exposure to highway-generated pollutants on the age-specific mortality rate by using bearing to the nearest major highway as an instrument for pollution exposure. We find that doubling the percentage of time spent downwind of a highway increases mortality among individuals 75 and older by 3.6 to 6.8 percent. These estimates are robust and economically significant.
Keywords: Air Pollution; Mortality; Public Health; Environmental Regulation
JEL Codes: I12; Q53
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| bearing to the nearest major highway (R48) | pollution exposure (Q53) |
| pollution exposure (Q53) | mortality (I12) |
| percentage of time spent downwind of a highway (R41) | pollution exposure (Q53) |
| percentage of time spent downwind of a highway (R41) | mortality (I12) |
| pollution exposure (Q53) | mortality among individuals aged 75 and older (J14) |
| percentage of time spent downwind of a highway (R41) | mortality among individuals aged 75 and older (J14) |