The Health Burden of E-Waste: The Impact of E-Waste Dumping Sites on Child Mortality

Abstract E-waste is one of the fastest growing global waste streams, and is frequently shipped to poorer nations illegally, leading to contamination of local environments. The impact of e-waste dumping sites on neonatal and infant mortality is investigated, focusing on two major dumpsites in Ghana and Nigeria. Using a difference-in-differences approach, outcomes are compared for children born near and far from dumpsites before and after their creation. E-waste sites increase neonatal and infant mortality for those living closer to sites. Event studies suggest that effects emerge two to three years after site openings, consistent with gradual and systematic accumulation of contaminants in the environment. There is suggestive evidence that contamination of water and of urban farming produce are among the drivers of the observed effects.