Replication data for: Do Low Levels of Blood Lead Reduce Children's Future Test Scores?

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Anna Aizer; Janet Currie; Peter Simon; Patrick Vivier

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
APP2016-0404_data			10/12/2019 01:28:PM
LICENSE.txt	text/plain	14.6 KB	10/12/2019 09:28:AM

Project Citation:

Aizer, Anna, Currie, Janet, Simon, Peter, and Vivier, Patrick. Replication data for: Do Low Levels of Blood Lead Reduce Children’s Future Test Scores? Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2018. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-10-12. https://doi.org/10.3886/E113703V1

Project Description

Summary: We construct a unique individual-level dataset linking preschool blood lead levels with third grade test scores for Rhode Island children born 1997–2005. Using two identification strategies, we show for the first time that reductions of lead from even historically low levels have significant positive effects. A one-unit decrease in average blood lead levels reduces the probability of being substantially below proficient in reading (math) by 0.96 (0.79) percentage points on a baseline of 12 (16) percent. Since disadvantaged children have greater exposure to lead, lead poisoning may be one of the causes of continuing disparities in test scores.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      I12 Health Behavior
      I14 Health and Inequality
      I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
      I21 Analysis of Education
      I24 Education and Inequality
      J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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V1 [2019-10-12]

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