Working Paper: NBER ID: w26835
Authors: Pierre Mouganie; Ruba Ajeeb; Mark Hoekstra
Abstract: An estimated 40 percent of the world's garbage is burned in open-air fires, which are responsible for as much as half of the global emissions of some pollutants. However, there is little evidence on the health consequences of open-air waste burning. In this paper, we estimate the effect of in utero exposure to open-air waste burning on birth outcomes. We do so by examining the consequences of the Lebanese garbage crisis of 2015, which led to an abrupt, unanticipated increase in waste burning in residential neighborhoods in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. To identify effects, we exploit variation in exposure across neighborhoods before and after the crisis. Results indicate exposure had large impacts on birth outcomes; in utero exposure to at least one open-air waste burn increased premature births by 4 percentage points (50%) and low birth weight by 5 to 8 percentage points (80 - 120%). Given previous research documenting the long-run effects of prenatal shocks on adult health, human capital, and labor market outcomes, this suggests open-air waste burning imposes significant costs on populations worldwide.
Keywords: Open-air waste burning; Infant health; Lebanon; Public policy
JEL Codes: H41; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| exposure to at least one open-air waste burn during pregnancy (Q53) | likelihood of premature births (J19) |
| exposure to at least one open-air waste burn during pregnancy (Q53) | low birth weight (J13) |
| exposure to at least one open-air waste burn during pregnancy (Q53) | overall birth weight (J13) |
| each additional waste fire exposure (L99) | probability of low birth weight (J19) |
| each additional waste fire exposure (L99) | overall birth weight (J13) |
| exposure during the first and second trimesters (J13) | gestational age (O53) |
| exposure during the first and second trimesters (J13) | likelihood of being born prematurely (J19) |