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Is there a link between air pollution and impaired memory? Evidence on 34,000 English citizens

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Powdthavee, Nattavudh and Oswald, Andrew J. (2020) Is there a link between air pollution and impaired memory? Evidence on 34,000 English citizens. Ecological Economics, 169 . 106485. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106485 ISSN 0921-8009.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106485

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Abstract

It is known that people feel less happy in areas with higher levels of nitrogen dioxide NO2 (MacKerron and Mourato, 2009). What else might air pollution do to human wellbeing? This paper uses data on a standardized word-recall test that was done in the year 2011 by 34,000 randomly sampled English citizens across 318 geographical areas. We find that human memory is worse in areas where NO2 and PM10 levels are greater. The paper provides both (i) OLS results and (ii) instrumental-variable estimates that exploit the direction of the prevailing westerly wind and levels of population density. Although caution is always advisable on causal interpretation, these results are concerning and are consistent with laboratory studies of rats and other non-human animals. Our estimates suggest that the difference in memory quality between England’s cleanest and most-polluted areas is equivalent to the loss of memory from 10 extra years of ageing.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
Q Science > QP Physiology
T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Economics
Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Memory, Atmospheric nitrogen dioxide -- Physiological effect, Air -- Pollution -- Physiological effect, Air quality
Journal or Publication Title: Ecological Economics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
ISSN: 0921-8009
Official Date: March 2020
Dates:
DateEvent
March 2020Published
15 November 2019Available
22 September 2019Accepted
Volume: 169
Article Number: 106485
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106485
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Restricted or Subscription Access
Date of first compliant deposit: 25 September 2019
Date of first compliant Open Access: 15 November 2020
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:
Project/Grant IDRIOXX Funder NameFunder ID
UNSPECIFIED[ESRC] Economic and Social Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000269
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