Domestic Pollution Havens : Evidence from Cancer Deaths in Border Counties

Despite the concerns of many environmentalists, there is little evidence that global trade has led to the growth of pollution havens in poorer nations. Domestic pollution havens are a substitute for international pollution havens. Domestic pollution havens are likely to arise because environmental and labor regulations are not uniformly imposed across the United States. Using a new panel data set on county cancer death rates, this paper documents that cancer death rates have grown at specific state borders that have not imposed stringent labor regulation while cancer rates are falling at the Mexico border and are rising at the Canadian border