Superfund cleanups and children’s lead exposure

Abstract

This study evaluates the effect of EPA's Superfund cleanup program on children's lead exposure. We linked two decades of blood lead level (BLL) measurements from children in six states with data on Superfund sites and other lead risk factors. We used quasi-experimental methods to identify the causal effect of proximity to Superfund cleanups on rates of elevated BLL. We estimated a difference-in-difference model comparing the change in elevated BLL of children closer to versus farther from lead-contaminated sites before, during, and after cleanup.We also estimated a triple difference model including children near hazardous sites with minimal to no lead contamination as a comparison group. We used spatial fixed effects and matching to minimize potential bias from unobserved differences between the treatment and comparison groups. Results indicate that Superfund cleanups lowered the risk of elevated BLL for children living within 2 kilometers of lead-contaminated sites 8 to 18 percent.

Perceived Risk and Intentions to Practice Health Protective Behaviors in a Mining-Impacted Region

“…Today, most residential properties have been remediated along with the smelting areas and some of the old mine sites [ 15 , 48 ]. Blood lead level concentrations among children living in nearby communities fell from approximately 64 to 2.7 μg/dL during 1974–2001 [ 11 , 50 ]. Yet, the region remains contaminated at abandoned mine sites and in the floodplains of creeks and rivers where the mine waste was dumped and continues to be distributed by high water events [ 28 , 51 ].…”

“…However, the toxin impacts every organ of the body and even low levels of exposure are linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In fact, health organizations including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the European Food Safety Authority have concluded that there is no safe or “nontoxic” blood lead level [ 5 , 10 , 11 ].…”

The Effect of Leaded Gasoline on Elderly Mortality: Evidence from Regulatory Exemptions

“…Many of these processes generate substantial disamenities for nearby residents, including increased exposure to lead and other pollutants (e.g. Currie et al, 2015a;Klemick et al, 2019).…”

“…25 In expectation, a child in a race county experienced a 0.087 IQ point decrease. Last, we link IQ to earnings following the procedure in Klemick et al (2019), which estimates that a 1 IQ point decrease for a three year old is associated with a present value earnings loss of $20,568 in 2019 dollars. 26 Combining these estimates, the costs of reduced IQ are $1,789 per child in race counties.…”

Perceived Risk and Intentions to Practice Health Protective Behaviors in a Mining-Impacted Region

“…Today, most residential properties have been remediated along with the smelting areas and some of the old mine sites [31,33]. Blood lead level concentrations among children living in nearby communities fell from approximately 64 μg/dL to 2.7 μg/dL during 1974-2001 [34,35]. Yet, the Silver Valley remains contaminated at abandoned mine sites and in the floodplains of creeks and rivers where the mine waste was dumped and continues to be distributed by high flows.…”