ARE THE KIDS ALRIGHT? EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BLOOD LEAD LEVELS AND CRIME RATES

Abstract

Environmental toxins, more specifically lead toxicity, has a strong influence on brain development in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex, located in the frontal lobe of the brain, manages decision-making, long-term and short-term goals, impulsivity, and self-control. These functions stimulate delinquent acts and crime, so in turn, harm to the prefrontal cortex, such as lead contamination, can influence how one perceives crime and could chemically lead one to commit. This literature analysis evaluates blood lead levels of the current year in the United States and compares it to national, total crime rates, with the aspiration of a positive correlation. This work also examines blood lead levels of children ages 6 to 11-year-olds from 1999 to 2000 and compares this data to crime rates between the years 2011 to 2020. The work concluded that crime rates and blood lead levels of the current year have a significant correlation, whereas blood lead levels from 1999 and crime rates from 2011 to 2020 have less of an association.