Using longitudinal data on 560 Indonesian children born during 1997-1998, researchers report that prenatal exposure to air pollution from the 1997 Indonesian forest fires was associated with reduced height at age 17, suggesting long-term, irreversible health impacts; a cost-benefit analysis accounting for such impacts suggests that Indonesia should continue with relatively inexpensive policies such as fire detection and suppression as well as more stringent enforcement of bans on fire-based forest clearing, according to the authors.
Article #18-02876: "Seeking natural capital projects: Forest fires, haze, and early-life exposure in Indonesia," by Jie-Sheng Tan-Soo and Subhrendu K. Pattanayak.
MEDIA CONTACT: Subhrendu K. Pattanayak, Duke University, Durham, NC; tel: 919-599-6311; e-mail: subhrendu.pattanayak@duke.edu
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