Yes, lead poisoning could really be a cause of violent crime

[noamnety]

95. I thought that was common knowledge

"Another hypothesis suggests reduced lead exposure as the cause; Scholar Mark A.R. Kleiman writes: "Given the decrease in lead exposure among children since the 1980s and the estimated effects of lead on crime, reduced lead exposure could easily explain a very large proportion—certainly more than half—of the crime decrease of the 1994-2004 period. A careful statistical study relating local changes in lead exposure to local crime rates estimates the fraction of the crime decline due to lead reduction as greater than 90 percent. "

"Lead poisoning is a big issue around my area, metro-detroit. "More than half of the students tested in Detroit Public Schools have a history of lead poisoning, which affects brain function for life, according to data compiled by city health and education officials. The data also show, for the first time in Detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. About 60% of DPS students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels." http://www.freep.com/article/20100516/NEWS01/5160413/High-lead-levels-hurt-learning-DPS-kids "

From one of my posts a month ago: http://www.democraticunderground.com/11145659#post56

It's just another way we get to blame race for crime. People with money move into an area, extract resources from it, pollute it, those with more resources (middle and upper class and therefore more likely to be white) can afford to leave. Minorities are more likely to be in poverty and unable to afford flight. They live in higher concentrations in polluted areas, suffer the resulting problems, which include higher medical bills and other special needs, which plunges them further into poverty and into higher crime communities.

(Then the Ayn Rand crowd sits around wondering why they don't just pull themselves up by their bootstraps and suggests they must LIKE living in poverty.)

Just another white privilege that most people are unaware of - growing up poor in an area that isn't contaminated from smelting plants is better than growing up equally poor in an area with that contamination.