The Impact of Lead Exposure on Fertility, Infant Mortality, and Infant Birth Outcomes.

This article reviews the quasi-experimental literature on lead and fertility, lead and infant mortality, and lead and infant birth outcomes. It then discusses the relevance of these studies for policy. In contrast to the large amount of literature on children's blood lead levels and health and development outcomes, there are fewer studies on lead and fertility, lead and infant mortality, and lead and infant health, despite their social and economic importance. Although removal of lead in gasoline generated enormous public health benefits, lead exposure remains significant in both developed and developing countries. Thus, causal estimates from quasi-experimental studies of the relationships between lead and fertility, lead and infant mortality, and lead and infant health are critical for policy. Specifically, they can be used to generate estimates of benefits used in regulatory benefit–cost analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]