2022/02/23 by Stephanie von Hinke, von Hinke, Stephanie, Emil N. Sørensen +1
Environmental Science · Health Professions · #Air Quality and Health Impacts #Global Health Care Issues #Climate Change and Health Impacts
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2202.11785
This paper uses a large UK cohort to investigate the impact of early-life pollution exposure on individuals' human capital and health outcomes in older age. We compare individuals who were exposed to the London smog in December 1952 whilst in utero or in infancy to those born after the smog and those born at the same time but in unaffected areas. We find that those exposed to the smog have substantially lower fluid intelligence and worse respiratory health, with some evidence of a reduction in years of schooling.