Drinking water contaminant concentrations and birth outcomes
利用宾夕法尼亚州饮用水采样数据，研究未触发健康违规的污染物浓度对出生体重和早产的影响，发现污染物从第10百分位升至第90百分位时低出生体重增加12%、早产增加17%。
Previous research in the US has found negative health effects of contamination when it triggers regulatory violations. An important question is whether levels of contamination that do not trigger a health-based violation impact health. We study the impact of drinking water contamination in community water systems on birth outcomes using drinking water sampling results data in Pennsylvania. We focus on the effects of water contamination for births not exposed to regulatory violations. Our most rigorous specification employs mother fixed effects and finds changing from the 10th to the 90th percentile of water contamination (among births not exposed to regulatory violations) increases low birth weight by 12% and preterm birth by 17%.