The Persistent Effects of a Novel Toxic Pollutant

Exposure to toxic chemicals threatens the well-being of those exposed early in life. Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), manufactured chemicals that accumulate in the environment and the human body, are likely very toxic. Economists Irene Jacqz and John Voorheis will investigate the long-run impacts of early childhood exposure to PFAS on educational attainment and earnings. They will utilize administrative data from the Census Bureau, data from the American Community Survey, the Geological Survey National Watershed Boundary Dataset, the Vital Statistics Mortality File, the Vital Statistics Natality Birth Data, and a Department of Defense list of bases suspected of PFAS contamination for their study.