TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Duong, Thao
AU  - Zhong, Jiee
        TI  - Low-Level Lead Exposure and Children's Human Capital: Evidence from Piston-Engine Aircraft
        PY  - 2026/Oct/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18996
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18996
        AB  - How harmful are low levels of lead exposure to children's human capital development? We provide new causal evidence by exploiting a post-2007 surge in piston-engine aircraft activity, the largest remaining source of airborne lead emissions in the United States, driven by flight-training demand. Using a triple-differences design and longitudinal administrative data, we find that students attending schools within one mile of high-surge airports score 0.168 standard deviations lower on reading tests and are 6% and 25% less likely to graduate from high school and enroll in a public university, respectively. Estimated effects on behavioral outcomes are small and statistically insignificant.
        KW  - piston-engine aircraft
KW  - lead emissions
KW  - human capital development
        ER  -