Reported in news outlets this week was this Australian study testing the hypothesis that in some communities where children were exposed to high levels of lead emissions (from petrol, industrial and mining activities), there was an increase in subsequent aggressive criminal behaviours.
The study, reported as open access in the journal Environmental Health, involved a regression analysis study at suburb, state and national levels, looking at air lead concentrations 15-24 years earlier and current criminal activity. The authors found a strong positive relationship between childhood lead exposure and subsequent rates of aggressive crime. "Given the overwhelming evidence that there is no safe lower threshold for lead toxicity, remediation programs are essential to mitigate these effects and should be a clear priority for immediate policy change."
Mark Taylor, Miriam Forbes, Brian Opeskin, Nick Parr, Bruce Lanphear. The relationship between atmospheric lead emissions and aggressive crime: an ecological study. Environmental Health 2016 15:23. DOI: 10.1186/s12940-016-0122-3.
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