WASHINGTON, July 8 New research has linked the fall of violent crime in the United States to the gradual decrease in lead exposure over the past two decades.
Rick Nevin, an economist in Fairfax, Va., said lead poisoning and exposure can lead to a decreased ability to control one's impulses, The Washington Post reported.
Some have argued that crime rates also may have gone down because of changes in city management and laws. Nevin draws on research that shows a correlation between decreasing lead levels in household paints and a fall in general crime. He argues that a substantial amount of crime in the United States can be explained by exposure to lead.
Although Nevin's theory has some strong support, the newspaper said, critics point out that crime rates have increased slightly since 2005.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
