Research in Progress
Glyphosate Use, Water Contamination, and Neonatal Health in the United States (Revise & Resubmit, Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists) [PDF]
Abstract. This study investigates the impact of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide, on birth outcomes in the US Corn Belt. Using water flow mechanisms to identify causal effects, the study shows that glyphosate affects populations far from application sites through waterborne transmission. The results suggest that a 10 kg/km2 increase in upstream glyphosate use led to a 4.6 percent rise in neonatal deaths in lower-income areas, with no observed effects in higher-income regions. The research design also incorporates variations in spatial distances, seasonal exposure patterns, and rainfall data to ensure that the observed health impacts are attributable to glyphosate. Evidence suggests avoidance behaviors and water treatment are potential mechanisms of the heterogeneous effects.
Abstract. This study investigates the impact of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide, on birth outcomes in the US Corn Belt. Using water flow mechanisms to identify causal effects, the study shows that glyphosate affects populations far from application sites through waterborne transmission. The results suggest that a 10 kg/km2 increase in upstream glyphosate use led to a 4.6 percent rise in neonatal deaths in lower-income areas, with no observed effects in higher-income regions. The research design also incorporates variations in spatial distances, seasonal exposure patterns, and rainfall data to ensure that the observed health impacts are attributable to glyphosate. Evidence suggests avoidance behaviors and water treatment are potential mechanisms of the heterogeneous effects.
Indirect Land Use Changes: Biofuel Demand and Deforestation in Southeast Asia with Aaron Smith, Richard Sexton
Abstract. Biomass-based diesel (BBD) fuel has emerged in many countries as a key tool to replace fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants. This study quantifies the environmental costs of BBD by linking palm oil-driven deforestation to rising global vegetable oil demand. Using remote sensing and econometric analysis, I estimate the impact of BBD on land-use change in Indonesia and Malaysia and assess associated carbon emissions. Results suggest that global BBD consumption between 2002 and 2018 caused approximately 1.6 million hectares of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia. Even without accounting for emissions from these other sources, the carbon intensity of BBD from forest-to-palm conversion alone exceeds that of fossil diesel.
Conference Presentations
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18th Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists, Bonn, 2025
Paper: Do Biofuel Policies Contribute to Deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia? Evidence from the Sky -
Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Annual Meeting, Denver, 2025
Paper: Indirect Land Use Changes: Biofuel Demand and Deforestation in Southeast Asia
Paper: Beyond the Fields: Glyphosate Water Contamination and Infant Health in the US Corn Belt -
Association of Environmental & Resource Economics Annual Meeting, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, 2025
Paper: Glyphosate Use, Water Contamination, and Neonatal Health in the United States -
7th Annual Social Cost of Water Pollution Workshop, Washington, D.C., 2024
Paper: Glyphosate Use, Water Contamination, and Neonatal Health in the United States -
Rural Economics Society of Taiwan Annual Conference and Academic Seminar, Taipei, 2020
Paper: Estimating the Economic Impacts of Climate Change and Revenue Insurance on Taiwan’s Bananas