Lead Exposure = Future Delinquent Behavior?
I read a very disturbing article regarding how lead exposure in children can lead to criminal behavior in young adulthood. This is a frightening association, considering children are still being exposed to lead in older buildings, especially in poor, inner-city neighborhoods, to this day. I know there have been banns of lead in paint (1978), solder (1986) and gasoline (1996), but kids from those generations are adults now. The study in this article showed that the lead level of a large population in their 20’s & 30’s are extremely high (neurotoxic range). Can they all become criminals at some point? There already have been links to childhood exposure with anti-social behaviors, attention deficits, lower IQ, weak executive control functions and hyperactivity, which according to this article, all are risk factors to delinquent behavior. Although the numbers have decreased of childhood exposure to lead, nothing can be done fast enough to eliminate it completely.
