Dennis Guignet , Robin R. Jenkins , Christoph Nolte , James Belke
{"title":"The External Costs of Industrial Chemical Accidents: A Nationwide Property Value Study","authors":"Dennis Guignet , Robin R. Jenkins , Christoph Nolte , James Belke","doi":"10.1016/j.jhe.2023.101954","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Industrial chemical accidents involving fires, explosions, or toxic vapors impose external costs on nearby communities. We examine changes in residential property values using nationwide data on chemical facilities, accidents, and residential transactions within a spatial difference-in-differences framework. We find that accidents with direct offsite impacts lower home values within 5.75 km by 2-3%, an effect that remains for about 10 to 12 years, on average. We estimate an average loss of $5,350 per home, which translates to a $39.5 billion loss to communities around the 661 facilities where an offsite impact accident occurred. We assess the assumptions needed for a formal welfare interpretation and conclude that these results roughly approximate losses experienced by nearby residents.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51490,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Housing Economics","volume":"62 ","pages":"Article 101954"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"2","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Housing Economics","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1051137723000414","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 2
Abstract
Industrial chemical accidents involving fires, explosions, or toxic vapors impose external costs on nearby communities. We examine changes in residential property values using nationwide data on chemical facilities, accidents, and residential transactions within a spatial difference-in-differences framework. We find that accidents with direct offsite impacts lower home values within 5.75 km by 2-3%, an effect that remains for about 10 to 12 years, on average. We estimate an average loss of $5,350 per home, which translates to a $39.5 billion loss to communities around the 661 facilities where an offsite impact accident occurred. We assess the assumptions needed for a formal welfare interpretation and conclude that these results roughly approximate losses experienced by nearby residents.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Housing Economics provides a focal point for the publication of economic research related to housing and encourages papers that bring to bear careful analytical technique on important housing-related questions. The journal covers the broad spectrum of topics and approaches that constitute housing economics, including analysis of important public policy issues.