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Pollution, falling birth rates and increased mortality

Geoff Riley

17th July 2016

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When there’s more pollution more people end up in hospital, birth weights go down, and mortality rates rise - these are some of the negative externalities linked to high rates of air pollution in a study focusing on China and published here on the VoxEU web site

A study of workers operating in Chinese call centres found that workers are 6% more productive on low-pollution days than high-pollution days. Pollution can have damaging impacts on all workers but especially the most vulnerable such as those working outside. But particulates can find their way indoors and affect people employed in office blocks and factories.

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Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.