PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Michael Gilraine
TI  - Air Filters, Pollution, and Student Achievement
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0421-11642R2
DP  - 2023 Feb 07
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 0421-11642R2
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2023/02/01/jhr.0421-11642R2.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2023/02/01/jhr.0421-11642R2.full
AB  - This paper identifies the impact of installing air filters in classrooms for the first time. To do so, I leverage a unique setting arising from the largest gas leak in U.S. history, whereby the offending gas company installed air filters in every classroom within five miles of the leak (but not beyond). Using a spatial regression discontinuity design, I find substantial improvements in student performance: air filters raised test scores by 0.1-0.2σ. Natural gas was not detected inside schools, implying that the filters improved air quality by removing common pollutants and so these results should extend to other settings.