The Impact of Prenatal Exposure to Chernobyl Fallout in Finland

Authors

• Matti Sipiläinen Aalto University School of Business

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33358/jfea.126799

Keywords:

Cognition, Prenatal irradiation, School performance, Human capital

Abstract

I estimate the impact of low doses of radiation on school performance and income levels by exploiting regional and temporal variation in levels of radioactivity combined with variation in radiosensitivity during the foetal period. I observe a
significantly lower school performance among students exposed to higher levels of prenatal irradiation as well as a lower level of educational attainment. I also estimate the impact on income at ages 26–31. My findings align with the recent literature and confirm the findings presented in Almond et al. (2009).