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Environmental regulation, residential sorting, and pollution exposure among senior Americans

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  • Basu, Sayahnika
  • Ketcham, Jonathan D.
  • Kuminoff, Nicolai V.

Abstract

We investigate how environmental regulation under the U.S. Superfund program and Clean Air Act affected exposures to fine particulate air pollution and hazardous waste for Americans over age 65 during the 2000s. Our research design uses quasi-random features of how the two programs enforce regulations and provide information to estimate their causal effects on migration and pollution exposure. We show that senior Americans’ average pollution exposures declined substantially. We also show that spatially heterogeneous improvements in environmental quality had little-to-no effect on residential sorting. This led to relatively large reductions in pollution exposure for seniors living in the dirtiest areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Basu, Sayahnika & Ketcham, Jonathan D. & Kuminoff, Nicolai V., 2025. "Environmental regulation, residential sorting, and pollution exposure among senior Americans," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:133:y:2025:i:c:s0095069625000956
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2025.103211
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