WCCF has previously blogged about the research link between reductions in children’s exposure to lead (removing lead from paint, unleaded gasoline, etc.) and reductions in youth crime. Some researchers have gone as far as suggesting that nearly two-thirds of the youth crime reduction can be attributed to reductions in exposure to lead.

This remains a relatively new explanation but one that seems to have some validity in state, national, and international research studies. There is a good posting out through the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange asking if exposure to lead is the secret to the rapid rise and fantastic fall of the juvenile crime rate.

I’m willing to let the researchers and statisticians debate about the validity of the studies and cause vs. correlation – but what we do know AND CAN ADDRESS is that child exposure to lead has a significant and harmful impact on critical brain development functions. And, there is no doubt about how limiting that development plays out in greater risk of a host of risky and harmful behaviors in youth, mental health issues, and general health issues.

by Jim Moeser