Drinking Water Contaminant Concentrations and Birth Outcomes

Richard DiSalvo and Elaine Hill

No 31567, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Previous research in the US has found negative health effects of contamination when it triggers regulatory violations. An important question is whether levels of contamination that do not trigger a health-based violation impact health. We study the impact of drinking water contamination in community water systems on birth outcomes using drinking water sampling results data in Pennsylvania. We create an overall water quality index and an index specific to reproductive health. We focus on the effects of water contamination for births not exposed to regulatory violations. Our most rigorous specification employs mother fixed effects and finds changing from the 10th to the 90th percentile of water contamination (among births not exposed to regulatory violations) increases low birth weight by 12% and preterm birth by 17%.

JEL-codes: I1 Q53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-env and nep-hea
Note: CH EEE EH
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Published as Richard W. DiSalvo & Elaine L. Hill, 2024. "Drinking water contaminant concentrations and birth outcomes," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(2), pages 368-399, March.
Published as Richard W. DiSalvo & Elaine L. Hill, 2024. "Drinking water contaminant concentrations and birth outcomes," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, vol 43(2), pages 368-399.

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