Born to Lose and Poor Air Quality

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This article summarizes recent research on the quality of air and factors of well being such as infant mortality, underweight births, attention deficit disorder etc. The groups most strongly affected by poor air quality are low income groups who are not free to choose neighborhoods with better air quality, and who are not well informed enough to understand the risks associated with poor air quality.

Economists typically view this as a pricing problem. If air polluters had to pay higher prices to internalize the costs that they pass on to others, there would be less air pollution and healthier children. This author suggests that if their own children were subjected to the risk of poor air quality they might behave differently. They are free to choose neighborhoods with better air quality while the less lucky are "born to lose".