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Title: When It Rains It Pours: The Long-run Economic Impacts of Salt Iodization in the United States
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2016
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Abstract: In 1924, The Morton Salt Company began nationwide distribution of iodine-fortified salt. Access to iodine, a key determinant of cognitive ability, rose sharply. We compare outcomes for cohorts exposed in utero to iodized salt with those of slightly older, unexposed cohorts, across states with high versus low iodine deficiency rates prior to salt fortification. Incomes for cohorts who benefited from iodized salt access went up by 11%; labor force participation rose by roughly .75 percentage points; and the probability of working more than 50 weeks in a year went up by over 1 percentage point. These impacts were driven entirely by females. We find large impacts on economic outcomes early in women's adult lives and muted effects later in life. Women married at later ages and experienced a small increase in educational attainment.
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Authors: Adhvaryu, Achyuta; Bednar, Steven; Molina, Teresa; Nguyen, Quynh; Nyshadham, Anant
Publisher: University of Michigan
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Family and Marriage, Gender, Health, Labor Force and Occupational Structure
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