The Effect of Arsenic Poisoning on Education Outcomes: Evidence from Indian Districts

While the effect of health on education outcomes is well documented in the literature, little is known about the effect of drinking contaminated water on children’s cognitive skills. This paper assesses the effect of drinking arsenic contaminated water on education outcomes among children in districts across India. Using IHDS (2011-12) data and instrumental variable framework that exploits variation in soil textures across districts in India, we find that arsenic exposure beyond the threshold level (10ug/l) has negative and significant effect on school attendance and on mathematics scores. 1 Research scholar, Centre for International Trade and Development (CITD), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Email : Khushboojnu14@gmail.com