Air Pollution and Cognitive Functions: Evidence from Straw Burning in China
利用遥感数据与家庭健康调查，研究发现中国秸秆焚烧产生的PM2.5会暂时降低55岁以上人群的认知功能，且影响仅来自上风向的污染。
This study examines the impact of air pollution from straw burning on human cognitive health in China by linking household health surveys with PM 2.5 emissions derived from remote sensing data on fire activity. The identification strategy leverages the spatial dispersion of air pollutants due to exogenous wind directions. The results indicate that PM 2.5 emissions from upwind straw burning have a negative impact on cognitive functions of respondents aged 55 and above, but PM 2.5 emissions from downwind fires do not. The impact is transitory and caused by contemporaneous PM 2.5 emissions on the day of cognitive testing. Our findings demonstrate a link from air pollution to cognitive declines and suggest that through this link, climate change could result in additional health costs by increasing the risk of wildfires.