Full Citation
Title: The siren song of cicadas: Early-life pesticide exposure and later-life male mortality
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2023
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2023.102903
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PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: This paper studies the long-term effects of in-utero and early-life exposure to pesticide use on adulthood and old-age longevity. We use the cyclical emergence of cicadas in the eastern half of the United States as a shock that raises the pesticide use among tree crop growing farmlands. We implement a difference-indifference framework and employ Social Security Administration death records over the years 1975-2005 linked to the complete count 1940 census. We find that males born in top-quartile tree-crop counties and exposed to a cicada event during fetal development and early-life live roughly 2.2 months shorted lives; those with direct farm exposure face a reduction of nearly a year. We provide empirical evidence to examine mortality selection before adulthood, endogenous fertility, and differential data linkage rates. Additional analyses suggests that reductions in education and income during adulthood are potential mechanisms of impact. Our findings add to our understanding of the relevance of early-life insults for old-age health and mortality.
Url: https://www.wisbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Siren-Song-of-Cicadas.pdf
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Fletcher, Jason; Noghanibehambari, Hamid
Periodical (Full): Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
Issue: 1
Volume: 123
Pages: 1-25
Data Collections: IPUMS USA, IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data
Topics: Aging and Retirement, Fertility and Mortality, Health
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