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Association of Prenatal and Childhood Blood Lead Concentrations with Criminal Arrests in Early Adulthood

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Wright, John Paul, Dietrich, Kim N, Ris, M. Douglas, Hornung, Richard W, Wessel, Stephanie D, Lanphear, Bruce P, Ho, Mona, Rae, Mary N·2008·PLoS Medicine
DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.0050101PMC PMC2689664
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Childhood lead exposure is a purported risk factor for antisocial behavior, but prior studies either relied on indirect measures of exposure or did not follow participants into adulthood to examine the relationship between lead exposure and criminal activity in young adults. The objective of this study was to determine if prenatal and childhood blood lead concentrations are associated with arrests for criminal offenses. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Pregnant women were recruited from four prenatal clinics in Cincinnati, Ohio if they resided in areas of the city with a high concentration of older, lead-contaminated housing. We studied 250 individuals, 19 to 24 y of age, out of 376 children who were recruited at birth between 1979 and 1984. Prenatal maternal blood lead concentrations were measured during the first or early second trimester of pregnancy. Childhood blood lead concentrations were measured on a quarterly and biannual basis through 6.5 y. Study participants were examined at an inner-city pediatric clinic and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Total arrests and arrests for offenses involving violence were collected from official Hamilton County, Ohio criminal justice records. Main outcomes were the covariate-adjusted rate ratios (RR) for total arrests and arrests for violent crimes associated with each 5 microg/dl (0.24 micromol/l) increase in blood lead concentration. Adjusted total arrest rates were greater for each 5 microg/dl (0.24 micromol/l) increase in blood lead concentration: RR = 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.85) for prenatal blood lead, 1.07 (95% CI 0.88-1.29) for average childhood blood lead, and 1.27 (95% CI 1.03-1.57) for 6-year blood lead. Adjusted arrest rates for violent crimes were also greater for each 5 microg/dl increase in blood lead: RR = 1.34 (95% CI 0.88-2.03) for prenatal blood lead, 1.30 (95% CI 1.03-1.64) for average childhood blood lead, and 1.48 (95% CI 1.15-1.89) for 6-year blood lead. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal and postnatal blood lead concentrations are associated with higher rates of total arrests and/or arrests for offenses involving violence. This is the first prospective study to demonstrate an association between developmental exposure to lead and adult criminal behavior.

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  • Lead poisoning highly correlates with crime rates and out-of-wedlock pregnancy in modern North America.

    “lead poisoning highly correlates with crime rates and out-of-wedlock pregnancy in modern North America154,155.”

    From Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function (2009) · cites this paper as [155]

    The Abstract’s Methods and Findings report an association between blood lead concentrations and criminal arrests in a Cincinnati cohort; the Introduction also describes studies linking lead exposure with crime rates. The paper does not report an association with out-of-wedlock pregnancy—it appears only in the title of a cited reference—and its Cincinnati findings do not establish the claim across modern North America. Page numbers are not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • In humans, lead poisoning is associated with reductions in PFC grey matter and with various behavioural changes that arise from PFC dysfunction, including ADHD-like attentional and impulse-control problems, and even sociopathic, irresponsible and criminal behaviours.

    “In humans, lead poisoning is associated with reductions in PFC grey matter153 and with various behavioural changes that arise from PFC dysfunction, including ADHD-like attentional and impulse-control problems, and even sociopathic, irresponsible and criminal behaviours154,155.”

    From Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function (2009) · cites this paper as [155]

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Authors
Wright, J. P., Dietrich, K. N., Ris, M. D., Hornung, R. W., Wessel, S. D., Lanphear, B. P., Ho, M., & Rae, M. N.
Affiliations
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Dietrich, Kim N
ORCID
Venue
PLoS Medicine
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2008-05-27
Volume
5
Issue
5
Pages
e101
ISSN
  • 1549-1277 (ISSN-L)
  • 1549-1676
DOI
10.1371/journal.pmed.0050101
PMC
PMC2689664
OpenAlex
W2119515241
Cited by
467
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 19
FWCI
19.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (R82938901, ES011261)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES011261, R01-ES015559-01, P01ES011261, R01ES015559, ES015559)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
Keywords
blood lead levels, prenatal lead exposure, childhood lead exposure, criminal arrest, violent crime, antisocial behavior, inner-city children, early adulthood, Cincinnati, criminal records, birth cohort follow-up, socioeconomic deprivation, maternal blood lead, arrest rates
MeSH terms
Adult, Aggression, Crime, Female, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Lead, Lead Poisoning, Male, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Risk Factors, Social Behavior Disorders, Violence, Maternal Exposure

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