TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Anderson, D. Mark
AU  - Charles, Kerwin Kofi
AU  - Rees, Daniel I.
AU  - Wang, Tianyi
        TI  - Water Purification Efforts and the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap, 1906-1938
        PY  - 2019/Nov/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 12783
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp12783
        AB  - According to Troesken (2004), efforts to purify municipal water supplies at the turn of the 20th century dramatically improved the relative health of blacks. There is, however, little empirical evidence to support the Troesken hypothesis. Using city-level data published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census for the period 1906-1938, we explore the relationship between water purification efforts and the black-white infant mortality gap. 
Our results suggest that, while water filtration was effective across the board, adding chlorine to the water supply reduced mortality only among black infants. Specifically, chlorination is associated with an 11 percent reduction in black infant mortality and a 13 percent reduction in the black-white infant mortality gap. We also find that chlorination led to a substantial reduction in the black-white diarrhea mortality gap among children under the age of 2, although this estimate is measured with less precision.
        KW  - black-white infant mortality gap
KW  - public health
KW  - infant mortality
        ER  -