Do good carefully: The long‐term effects of low‐dose DDT exposure in early childhood on education, marriage and employment
利用1950年代台湾大规模室内低剂量DDT喷洒的意外延长，研究发现儿童早期低剂量DDT暴露对成年后的教育和婚姻有显著负面影响，并增加了从事农业工作的可能性。
It is well known that malaria has serious adverse effects on humans. Yet, little is known as to how dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), which is still used to control malaria, may affect human socioeconomic outcomes in the long run. Utilizing the large-scale indoor residual spraying of low-dose DDT in Taiwan in the 1950s, we estimated the long-term effects of low-dose DDT exposure in early childhood on education, marriage and employment in adulthood. Our identification hinges on the unexpected extension of DDT spraying after malaria had already been largely brought under control. We found that even at a very low dosage, DDT exposure still resulted in discernible negative effects on education and marriage. For employment, although no effect on the probability of working was detected, people exposed to more sprayings in childhood were more likely to work in the agricultural sector that typically requires less human capital.