Arsenic and fertility
Evidence from the 1900 English beer-poisoning epidemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20653001 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jonathan James (0000-0002-8206-1637, University of Bath, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 101 |
| Pages | 101772 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Explorations in Economic History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0014-4983 • E-ISSN: 1090-2457 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.eeh.2026.101772 |
| OpenAlex | W7165758746 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 67 |
In 1900, thousands of people in England were poisoned by arsenic. The source was beer contaminated by tainted sugar. This paper examines how the poisoning affected birth rates in the affected areas, using an event study difference-in-difference design. The results show that the arsenic-in-beer epidemic caused a 10% drop in births in 1901, but the effect was short-lived. After about 28 weeks, birth rates returned to pre-epidemic levels. Evidence from the timing of the effect and a range of alternative mechanisms is most consistent with the epidemic reducing conceptions or early pregnancies, rather than operating through economic disruption or later gestational harm
Arsenic · Arsenic contamination of groundwater · Historical demography · Population · Alcoholism and Thiamine Deficiency · Arsenic contamination and mitigation · Historical Economic and Social Studies
Synthetic Difference-in-Differences
A More Credible Approach to Parallel Trends
What’s trending in difference-in-differences? A synthesis of the recent econometrics literature
The Covid-19 pandemic and human fertility
Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing
The Log of Gravity
Are Children “Normal”
For Want of a Cup
Disease and fertility
Perception of HIV risk and the quantity and quality of children
When beer is safer than water
The role of public health improvements in health advances
Brazil’s Missing Infants
The Impact of the Flint Water Crisis on Fertility
Poor law policy, unemployment, and pauperism
What are the health benefits of a constant water supply? Evidence from London, 1860–1910
New perspectives on the contribution of sanitary investments to mortality decline in English cities, 1845-1909
The contribution of infrastructure investment to Britain's urban mortality decline, 1861-1900
Small Debts and Economic Distress in England and Wales, 1857-1913
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |