Lead poisoning and crime
Lead poisoning is a serious public health issue caused by exposure to the toxic metal lead, which is found in various industrial and domestic applications. High levels of lead in the bloodstream can lead to significant cognitive deficits, poor impulse control, and behavioral issues, particularly in children whose developing systems are most vulnerable. Historically, lead has been used in plumbing, paints, gasoline, and various household products, resulting in ongoing risks, especially in low-income neighborhoods where lead-based paint may still be present.
Recent studies have explored the potential link between lead exposure during childhood and subsequent criminal behavior, with mixed results. While some research indicates a correlation, others suggest that the relationship is not definitive and may involve multiple contributing factors. Additionally, forensic techniques can identify lead in the body and environment, underscoring its relevance in both civil and criminal law. Overall, the implications of lead exposure extend beyond individual health, prompting broader societal discussions about safety, prevention, and justice.
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Lead poisoning and crime
DEFINITION: Heavy and malleable bluish-white metallic element that occurs naturally, at low levels, in the environment and has many industrial and domestic uses.
SIGNIFICANCE: Because of lead’s many industrial and domestic applications, human beings often come into contact with the metal, which has dangerous toxic properties. A high level of lead in the human bloodstream has been linked to significant cognitive deficits, poor impulse control, kidney damage, and behavioral problems. The fact that numerous studies have found higher-than-average levels of lead in the bloodstreams of violent prisoners makes the determination of the causes of lead poisoning an important matter in both civil and criminal law.
Because lead is a naturally occurring, easily mined, and easily worked metal that resists corrosion, it has been put to many uses by humans since ancient times. The early Romans, for example, used lead in their plumbing systems, some of which are still in use. During the eighteenth century, both arsenic and lead were used in wallpaper. Until the late 1970s, lead was commonly mixed into household paints because it helps bind paint to surfaces. Lead alloys are used in solder that joins metal surfaces. Lead used to connect pipes often finds its way into human water supplies. Lead was also formerly mixed into gasoline. Kohl, which has been used as a cosmetic eyeliner in many countries, often contains lead.
Lead continues to have many industrial applications and presents a great potential for accidental or intentional poisoning. Because people do not ingest lead to get high, the mineral does not have the same potential for abuse that many other chemicals and drugs have. Nevertheless, lead exposure is a significant public health concern. Lead-based paint was commonly applied to residential structures before the 1970s, and much of that paint has not been properly removed, so it still poses a health threat to residents of such structures, many of whom live in low-income neighborhoods. Moreover, even on structures where lead-based paint has been subsequently painted over, lead dust can pose a health threat.
Lead dust can also be found on old vinyl blinds. The threat is greatest to young children—including unborn fetuses—because their developing bodies and nervous systems are most susceptible to the toxic effects of lead. Even small amounts of lead dust can be very toxic. Children who are at risk for lead exposure should be screened through blood tests at one and two years of age. Special chelating drugs can be given to children with high levels of lead in their blood to remove the toxin from their bloodstreams.
Because lead is chemically slow to act, it has little potential as a weapon of or war. Moreover, even if significant amounts of lead were dispersed into public water supplies, the pollution would be detected quickly. Nevertheless, forensic techniques used to identify the presence of lead and the causes of, and responsibility for, lead poisoning have many civil and criminal applications. Lead can be identified through a variety of forensic analyses. In human bodies, blood tests are used to assess lead levels. Inexpensive kits are available that allow individuals to spot test for lead in their own homes. In laboratories, lead can be identified through and spectroscopy.
A 2023 study published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health examined thirteen past studies of lead exposure and criminal behavior to determine if a correlation between the two existed. The studies examined exposure to lead and lead poisoning in children to criminal behavior later in life. While seven of the studies seemed to show a link between the two, and two other studies suggested a plausible link, the 2023 research could not definitively link lead exposure to an increase in criminal behavior. The study concluded that other factors may have been present that could have contributed to criminal behavior, and the research that was studied was limited and not consistent.
Bibliography
Bullard, Robert, ed. Unequal Protection: Environmental Justice and Communities of Color. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1994.
Casdorph, H. Richard, and Morton Walker.Toxic Metal Syndrome: How Metal Poisonings Can Affect Your Brain. Garden City Park, N.Y.: Avery, 1995.
Talayero, Maria Jose, C. Rebecca Robbins, Emily R. Smith, and Carlos Santos-Burgoa. "The Association Between Lead Exposure and Crime: A Systematic Review." PLOS Global Public Health, vol. 3, no. 8, 1 Aug. 2023, doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002177. Accessed 15 Aug. 2024.