期刊名称：Discussion Paper Series / Department of Economics, New York University
出版年度：2007
卷号：1
出版社：New York University
摘要：Japanese atomic bomb survivors irradiated 8-25 weeks after
ovulation subsequently suffered reduced IQ [Otake and Schull, 1998].
Whether these findings generalize to low doses (less than 10 mGy)
has not been established. This paper exploits the natural experiment
generated by the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986,
which caused a spike in radiation levels in Sweden. In a comprehensive
data set of 562,637 Swedes born 1983-1988, we find the cohort
in utero during the Chernobyl accident had worse school outcomes
than adjacent birth cohorts, and this deterioration was largest for
those exposed approximately 8-25 weeks post conception. Moreover,
we find larger damage among students born in regions that
received more fallout: students from the eight most affected municipalities
were 3.6 percentage points less likely to qualify to high
school as a result of the fallout. Our findings suggest that fetal exposure
to ionizing radiation damages cognitive ability at radiation
levels previously considered safe.
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