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Agricultural Fires and Infant Health

Author

Listed:
  • Marcos A. Rangel

    (Duke University and BREAD)

  • Tom S. Vogl

    (Princeton University, BREAD, and NBER)

Abstract

Fire has long served as a tool in agriculture, but this practice’s human capital consequences have proved difficult to study. Drawing on data from satellites, air monitors, and vital records, we study how smoke from sugarcane harvest fires affects infant health in the Brazilian state that produces one-fifth of the world’s sugarcane. Because fires track economic activity, we exploit wind for identification, finding that late-pregnancy exposure to upwind fires decreases birth weight, gestational length, and in utero survival, but not early neonatal survival. Other fires positively predict health, highlighting the importance of disentangling pollution from economic activities that drive it.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcos A. Rangel & Tom S. Vogl, 2016. "Agricultural Fires and Infant Health," Working Papers rangel_vogl_fires.pdf, Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Research Program in Development Studies..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:rpdevs:rangel_vogl_fires.pdf
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    File URL: https://rpds.princeton.edu/sites/rpds/files/rangel_vogl_fires.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Francis Rathinam & Sayak Khatua & Zeba Siddiqui & Manya Malik & Pallavi Duggal & Samantha Watson & Xavier Vollenweider, 2021. "Using big data for evaluating development outcomes: A systematic map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(3), September.
    3. Maria Rosales-Rueda & Margaret Triyana, 2019. "The Persistent Effects of Early-Life Exposure to Air Pollution: Evidence from the Indonesian Forest Fires," Working Papers Rutgers University, Newark 2019-002, Department of Economics, Rutgers University, Newark.
    4. Walker Hanlon, 2018. "London fog: A century of pollution and mortality, 1866-1965," Working Papers 18019, Economic History Society.
    5. Datt, Gaurav & Maitra, Pushkar & Menon, Nidhiya & Ray, Ranjan & Dey, Sagnik & Chowdhury, Sourangsu, 2020. "Impact of Pollution from Coal on the Anemic Status of Children and Women: Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 13522, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brazil;

    JEL classification:

    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General
    • Q19 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Other
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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