The Effects of Air Pollution on Students’ Cognitive Performance: Evidence from Brazilian University Entrance Tests

We examine the contemporaneous causal relationship between outdoor air pollution levels and student cognitive performance in Brazil’s nationwide university entrance examinations. Our analysis relies upon a unique previously unexplored student-level data set allowing us to effect of particulate matter (PM10) on students’ scores. In our main specification we construct individual-level panel for 2 days exams across 3 years apply fixed effects address potential endogeneity concerns. addition, take advantage plausibly exogenous spatial temporal variation PM10 municipalities states Rio de Janeiro São Paulo utilize an instrumental variable approach based wind direction. results suggest that negatively impacts students. find suggestive evidence boys may be more affected than girls, less well-off exam takers at bottom score distribution are their privileged counterparts.