Who knew? Heavy metals linked to Criminality

I was recently challenged when someone made the statement that pollution can be linked with criminality.  I scoffed, then dove into the Interwebs to research.  Surprise, surprise, they were right.  While I had known of the effects of heavy metals on IQ, learning disorders and behavior, I was surprised that there is actual research showing that pollution does effect criminality. 

In an article published in the International Journal of Biosocial & Medical Research, primary research of school-aged children showed a marked correlation between increased copper, iron, sulfate, lead, cadmium, mercury and silicon, and decreased lithium, with a propensity for violent behavior. Biochemical differences, indicative largely of environmental influences, were markedly different between typical, emotionally disturbed, and violence prone children (with the presumption that juvenile violence will necessarily lead to juvenile crime). (Marlowe, Schneider, Bliss 1991).  Even more clear is the study published in Criminality Today: An Integrative Introduction by Frank Schmalleger on page 97, quoting the Greg Toppo article "Childhood Lead Exposure Linked to Adult Crime" from the 8-May-2008 edition of USA Today.  That study showed a marked and statistically significant increase in criminality at age 27 among groups of children with high lead blood levels at age 7, as compared with a comparable control group.

There are known linkages between mental health and pollution, and the "mad as a hatter" indication of mercury poisoning by milliners in the 19th century is among the more well-known, even though violence and crime seemed to be rarely associated with mercury poisoning, if at all.  (Connealy, 2006)  The brain is particularly susceptible to toxicity.  Manganese poisoning, typically amongst manganese miners,  has been traced to a number of symptoms, which include irritability, aggression, memory loss and mood changes.  An outright tie to criminality was not attributed by the article, even though chemically-induced aggression, irritability and mood swings would seem to be precursors to acts of violence.  (Lundberg, 1998).  However, John Rose, in Environmental Toxicology: Current Developments makes the case that there is a definitive link between neurotoxic pollution, abnormalities in brain chemistry (in particular, lead and manganese) and rates of violent crime, attributed to aggression and loss of impulse control. (Rose, 1998).  While his research seems compelling to this amateur, Rose's book was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and I'm skeptical that he properly accounted for all the variables in criminality and causative influences (e.g. poverty, drugs, alcohol abuse, etc.) and his coding methods seem to be too coarse.  At face value, his research provides findings of ethnicity, urbanism and toxicity as important correlates to violent crimes.

Ozone and weather have also been tied to violent crimes, with a strong correlation indicating that ozone levels are linked to family disturbances, and assaults are also tied with temperatures, wind speed and humidity.  As assaults are linked with precursor complaints about family disturbances, the research seems to indicate that ozone and weather are causative influences in matters of domestic violence. (Rotton, Frey. 1985)

Organophosphate (OP) compounds have been linked to a number of symptoms that include psychotic reactions, anxiety and hallucinations, and episodes of OP poisoning occur with surprising frequency in the United States, due to OP use in pesticides. (Ibid) OP poisoning has been tied to suicides and episodes of rage leading to criminal proceedings, in particular impulsive thoughts of suicide, with sufferers aiming tractors at walls, putting loaded shotguns in their mouths or creating and tying nooses in preparation for suicide.  Fortunately, while the preparations for suicide seem to indicate rationality in intent based on effectivity and lethality, the suicidal duration is very short, so many sufferers survive short of following through with their actions. (Davis, Ahmed & Freer, 2000)  

In a study of South African farm workers, a suicide rate of 2.5x that of non-farm workers was noted, and attributed to organophosphate pesticide exposure. (Maruging, London, Flisher, 2006).  Further, increased violence, homicides and anecdotal evidence of extreme violence have been documented with chronic organophosphate-induced neuropsychiatric disorder (COPIND) from long-term significant exposure to organophosphates.  (Davies, Ghouse, Freer 2000*)  In developing countries, organophosphate suicide is near epidemic, with approximately 1,000,000 cases in India per year, according to the National Crime Records Bureau of India, though the pesticide seems to rather be a common method of suicide, while the pesticides being the cause of the suicide itself is not strongly attributed.  (Ahmed, et al. 2009)

I will have a hard time arguing against pollutants, particularly neurotoxins, providing a link between the environment and crime. It seems as though the link is well-documented and supported by scholarly research, and I was unable to locate a rebuttal or debunking of the demonstrable links between neurotoxin pollution and criminality.  Admittedly, violence and criminal behavior were not present in all cases of neurotoxin poisoning, and the studies included in the text regarding childhood exposure to heavy metals and later lives of crime only showed a marked increase, and not a certainty.  However, the link seems quite clear, and I am now a firm believer that environmental pollution can be the cause of crime.

In a news article published just last month in The Guardian, Yes, lead poisoning could really be a cause of violent crime, a definitive correlation between crime following 20 years after the peak of  lead poisoning was demonstrated from many scholarly works.  The only article cited which protested the link between crime and lead pollution was a study sponsored by the Ethyl corporation, a major manufacturer of the gasoline additive tetraethyl lead.  It seems as though pollution's significance as a contributor to crime is clear.

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Ahmed, Mushtaq; Rahman, Farial Naima; Ashrafuzzaman, Mohd; Chowdhury, Depak Kumer Paul; Ali, Mohammad. (2009)OVERVIEW OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS COMPOUND POISONING IN BANGLADESH AND MEDICOLEGALASPECTS RELATED TO FATAL CASES. Journal of Armed Forces Medical College, Bangladesh (2009) v5:n1. Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/JAFMC/article/view/2851/2365 

Marlowe, Mike; Schneider, Henry G.; Bliss, Leonard B. (1991). Hair mineral analysis in emotionally disturbed and violence prone children. International Journal of Biosocial & Medical Research, Vol 13(2), 1991, 169-179.  Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1992-27333-001

Connealy, Leigh Erin. (2006). The Mad Hatter Syndrome: mercury and biological toxicity. Natural News.com. Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from http://www.naturalnews.com/016544_mercury_heavy_metals.html

Davies, Robert; Ahmed, Ghouse; Freer, Tegwedd. (2000). Chronic exposure to organophosphates: background and clinical picture. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 2000:6,187-192. Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from apt.rcpsych.org/content/6/3/187.full

Davies,Robert; Ahmed, Ghouse; Freer, Tegwedd. (2000*). Psychiatric aspects of chronic exposure to organophosphates: diagnosis and management. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2000) 6:356-361 doi:10.1192/apt.6.5.356. Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/6/5/356.full

Lundberg, Ante. (1998) The Environment and Mental Health. Psychology Press, 1998

Maruping, M; London, L; Flisher, A. (2006). Suicide and Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure Among African Farm Workers. Epidemiology: Nov 2006- v17:6-pp S327-S372. Retrieved 5-Feb-2013 from http://journals.lww.com/epidem/Fulltext/2006/11001/Suicide_and_Organophosphate_Pesticide_Exposure.988.aspx

Monblot, George. (2013). Yes, lead poisoning could really be a cause of violent crime. The Guardian, 7-Jan-2013. Retreived 6-Feb-2013 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jan/07/violent-crime-lead-poisoning-british-export

Rotton, James; Frey, James. (1985) Air pollution, weather and violent crimes: Concomitant time-series analysis of archival data. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 49(5), Nov 1985, 1207-1220. Retrieved on 5-Feb-2013 from http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/49/5/1207/

Rose, John. (1998) Environmental Toxicology: Current Developments. CRC Press. Retrieved on 5-Feb-2013 from http://tinyurl.com/toxicology-crime