This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update)

Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner. We recently got an email from a listener who wondered if the recent wildfires in the southeastern United States were going to affect the final exam scores for high school and college students. Not because students were displaced by the fires, but because the wildfire smoke might have affected their brains. This listener had apparently heard An episode we made a few years ago called This Is Your Brain on Pollution.

So we've decided to replay that episode for you today with updated facts and figures. As for whether this year's test scores in the Southeast were affected, that sounds like an excellent research question for an enterprising investigator. If anyone out there decides to do that research, let us know. We're at radio at freeconomics.com. As always, thanks for listening.

It's worse than cigarette smoking, it's worse than wars, it's worse than auto accidents. Wow, what's worse than wars and car crashes and smoking? Here, I'll give you a hint. Imagine you are getting ready to leave your house for work or school, maybe to go for a run. There is some standard information that most of us seek out before leaving home.

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