Lead Exposure Linked to School Problems and Crime

摘要

The use of lead in gasoline, paint, and other products has been sharply restricted since the 1970s as part of a national effort to reduce the incidence of neurological and other medical problems associated with lead ingestion, particularly by children. In Lead and Juvenile Delinquency: New Evidence from Linked Birth, School, and Juvenile Detention Records (NBER Working Paper No. 23392), Anna Aizer and Janet Currie analyze a particularly rich dataset on lead levels in the blood of 120,000 children born 1990-2004 in Rhode Island. They find a strong link between childhood lead exposure and anti-social behavior in individuallevel data. Higher lead levels are associated with higher school suspension and juvenile detention rates, as well as higher incarceration rates later in life.