Early-Life Exposure to Tap Water and the Development of Cognitive Skills
研究中国农村一项饮用水安全项目带来的社区通自来水时间差异，发现儿童早期多接触一年自来水可使10-15岁认知测试分数提高0.132个标准差，对关注儿童发展和公共政策的读者有参考价值。
This paper examines the impact of early-life exposure to tap water on children’s cognitive skills in later life. We exploit the variation in the timing of tap water connections across communities imposed by a major drinking water safety program in rural China. Using data extracted from the China Family Panel Studies, we find that one additional year of exposure to tap water in early life increases the cognitive test score at ages 10–15 by 0.132 standard deviations. The event study estimates confirm that the beneficial impacts of tap water exposure are concentrated in early life.