Atmospheric Pollution, Health, and Height in Late Nineteenth Century Britain

In nineteenth century Britain atmospheric pollution from coal-fired industrialization was on the order of 50 times higher than today. We examine the effects of these emissions on child development by analysing the heights on enlistment during WWI of men born in England and Wales in the 1890s. We fin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of economic history Vol. 78; no. 4; pp. 1210 - 1247
Main Authors Bailey, Roy E., Hatton, Timothy J., Inwood, Kris
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.12.2018
Subjects
19th century
Air pollution
Censuses
Child development
Coal
Consumption
Economic history
Emissions
Industrialization
Infant mortality
Men
Mortality
Outdoor air quality
Pollution
Registration
Sanitation
Victorian period
United Kingdom > UK
England
Wales
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Summary:In nineteenth century Britain atmospheric pollution from coal-fired industrialization was on the order of 50 times higher than today. We examine the effects of these emissions on child development by analysing the heights on enlistment during WWI of men born in England and Wales in the 1890s. We find a strong negative relationship between adult heights and the coal intensity of the districts in which these men were observed as children in the 1901 census. The subsequent decline in atmospheric pollution likely contributed to the long-term improvement in health and increase in height.
ISSN:0022-0507
1471-6372
DOI:10.1017/S0022050718000578