Lead exposure puts kids at an ‘excess risk’ of turning to crime: study

It’s really time to get the lead out.

A shocking new study has connected childhood lead exposure to “an excess risk for criminal behavior in adulthood,” according to researchers from George Washington University, particularly as “related to an arrest, incarceration or conviction of some type.”

“The impacts of lead exposure on the pediatric population are particularly severe,” reads the report, published earlier this month in Global Public Health, a Public Library of Science journal. This exposure, the authors continue, leads to the sort of “irreversible neurological impacts,” among other factors, that can predispose those affected to criminal behaviors.

Compared to adults, toxins accumulate more rapidly in children, as well as in the wombs of pregnant women, because they have a hyper-permeable blood-brain barrier — the membrane that shields the brain from toxins and microbes in the body’s bloodstream — and because their bodies are smaller and their organs are still developing.

Nervous system damage caused by lead can contribute to reduced “overall cognitive function,” including lower IQ and weaker memory, comprehension and reading abilities, while also prompting negative behavioral changes.

“Delinquent, criminal, and antisocial behavior” are just some of the ill effects associated with the widespread industrial toxin. Cardiovascular and immune system damage and delayed growth were also noted by the authors.

When studied in animals, similar exposures were shown to negatively affect memory, attention, sensory function and “overall learning ability.”

Commonly identified sources of lead exposure include imported paints and ceramics on children’s toys, in addition to industrial waste in lower-income areas, according to the study.

In 2017, the Department of Education revealed that 83% of NYC schools had at least one water fixture with lead levels exceeding federal safety limits.