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The effect of reducing the pre-harvest burning of sugar cane on respiratory health in Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2014

Alexandre C. Nicolella  and
Walter Belluzzo
Alexandre C. Nicolella
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, FEARP, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo 14040-900, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]
Walter Belluzzo
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper analyzes the effect of reducing pre-harvest burning of sugar cane on the population's respiratory health in Brazil. We collected data for the municipalities in the state of São Paulo for two different periods: 2000, before the state law requiring the gradual elimination of sugar cane area utilizing pre-burning, and 2007. We used panel models for inpatient visits due to respiratory diseases, outpatient visits for inhalation procedures and length of stay for inpatient visits due to respiratory diseases, controlling for the endogeneity between health and pollution. The results show that increasing the area of raw sugar cane harvested reduces the number of inpatient visits and does not affect the number of inhalation procedures or length of stay.

Type
Research Article
Information
Environment and Development Economics , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2015 , pp. 127 - 140
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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