Lead in Environment Causing Violent Crime– Study
(Washington, Reuters Health, 2/18/05)

Dr. Herbert Needleman of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and team, used X-ray fluorescence to find low levels of lead in the bones of children. Dr. Needleman warned that lead toxicity in adolescents is responsible for a large percentage of crimes in the Pittsburgh area. He cited studies linking crime with high lead levels either in the bodies of the accused or in their environments and he explained that exposing the developing brain to lead upsets the neural mechanisms that facilitate impulse control, possibly leading to aggression, disturbed attention and delinquency. He speculates that eliminating lead from the environment will reduce crime.