The Hidden Cost of Bananas: The Effects of Pesticides on Newborns’ Health

Abstract

This study examines the effects of aerial fumigation of banana plantations on newborns’ health during the period 2015–17 in Ecuador. Using the mothers’ addresses, the perimeter of the plantations, and the amount of pesticides applied in each plantation, we determine newborns’ exposure to pesticides. We then implement a difference-in-differences strategy that exploits seasonal variations in the use of pesticides to identify the causal effect of fumigations on newborns’ health outcomes. Our analysis shows that newborns with a high exposure to pesticides during gestation have a birth weight deficit of between 80 and 150 grams. Moreover, exposure to pesticides increases the likelihood of low birth weight and preterm delivery. We validate our results with a maternal fixed effect model that compares the health outcomes of siblings exposed and not exposed to intensive fumigations. We also carry out placebo and falsification tests considering newborns exposed to other crops not using aerial fumigations.