Lead exposure linked to criminal behavior

Cincinnati -- A U.S. study suggests a direct link between early lead exposure and an increased risk of criminal behavior.

University of Cincinnati researchers said long-term data from a childhood lead study showed elevated prenatal and postnatal blood-lead concentrations are associated with higher rates of criminal arrest in adulthood, the university said Wednesday in a news release.

The findings are published in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Kim Dietrich, an environmental health professor at UC, monitored infants born to women living in older, lead-contaminated housing in Cincinnati between 1979 and 1984. Of the original 376 newborns recruited, 250 were identified for the current study.

Researchers found that individuals with increased blood-lead levels before birth and during early childhood had higher rates of arrest than the rest of the study population after age 18.

"Lower income, inner-city children remain particularly vulnerable to lead exposure," Dietrich said.

"Although we've made great strides in reducing lead exposure, our findings send a clear message that further reduction of childhood lead exposure may be an important and achievable way to reduce violent crime."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.