Air Pollution and Cognitive Functions: Evidence from Straw Burning in China

This study examines the impact of air pollution from straw burning on human cognitive health in China by linking household health surveys with PM 2.5 emissions derived from remote sensing data on fire activity. The identification strategy leverages the spatial dispersion of air pollutants due to exogenous wind directions. The results indicate that PM 2.5 emissions from upwind straw burning have a negative impact on cognitive functions of respondents aged 55 and above, but PM 2.5 emissions from downwind fires do not. The impact is transitory and caused by contemporaneous PM 2.5 emissions on the day of cognitive testing. Our findings demonstrate a link from air pollution to cognitive declines and suggest that through this link, climate change could result in additional health costs by increasing the risk of wildfires.