Burying the Lead: Effects of Public Lead Service Line Replacements on Blood Lead Levels and Property Values
Presented by:
Michelle Marcus
Department of Economics
Vanderbilt University
Friday, October 20, 2023
12:00 pm-1:15 pm
Taylor-Hibbard Seminar Room (Rm103)
Despite the well-known health consequences of lead exposure, an estimated 6 to10 million lead service lines still deliver drinking water to homes throughout the US. Disadvantaged communities are disproportionately exposed to lead service lines, contributing to health and human capital disparities. This paper studies the effects of public lead service line replacements on households using address-level data on children's blood lead levels, home sales, and public service line installations from Rhode Island. Replacements significantly reduced child blood lead levels by about 0.4 g=dL, increased property values by 7-8 percent, and increased the probability of moving among renters.
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