| This dissertation consists of three essays, each presenting empirical analysis of environmental health at a different scale. The first essay explores the interrelationships between health status, income and environment at the national level, using data on 63 countries in 1990, 1995, and 2000. The relationship between economic growth (GDP) and environmental quality follows the inverted-U shape predicted by the Environmental Kuznets Curve for only some environmental indicators. I find evidence of N-shaped relationships between GDP and CO 2 and CH4 in developing countries. In the environmental health models, I find that higher levels of CO2, PM and BOD lead to higher infant and child mortality rates.;The second essay considers incidence of waterborne diseases at the provincial level in Thailand, adding information on preventive measures (access to safe water and sanitation). In panel models estimated with ten years of data, I once again do not find the inverted-U relationship between economic growth (GPP) and water pollution, and surprisingly, I find no significant relationship between GPP and preventative measures. When I include preventative measures in a model of health outcomes, I confirm that broader access to safe water leads to lower incidence of diarrhea. Increasing GPP consistently lowers the incidences of all water borne diseases. However, the statistical evidence on the water quality indicators are mixed. For example, higher BOD unexpectedly decreases incidence of diarrhea and dysentery, but higher total coliform bacteria has the expected positive impact on the dysentery rate. |
