A community parodoxically called ?Para?so de Dios? in Haina happens to be one of the 10 top contaminated places on Earth, including Chernobyl. Over 90% of children living in this community have about 10 times the maximum allowed blood threshold levels of lead according to the WHO (World Health Organization).
Research links lead exposure, crime
Economist says removing metal from gas, homes has reduced violence
"The theory offered by the economist, Rick Nevin, is that lead poisoning accounts for much of the variation in violent crime in the United States. It offers a unifying new neurochemical theory for fluctuations in the crime rate, and it is based on studies linking children's exposure to lead with violent behavior later in their lives.
Findings hold across countries
What makes Nevin's work persuasive is that he has shown an identical, decades-long association between lead poisoning and crime rates in nine countries.
"It is stunning how strong the association is," Nevin said in an interview. "Sixty-five to ninety percent or more of the substantial variation in violent crime in all these countries was explained by lead."
....
MSNBC
Research links lead exposure, crime
Economist says removing metal from gas, homes has reduced violence
"The theory offered by the economist, Rick Nevin, is that lead poisoning accounts for much of the variation in violent crime in the United States. It offers a unifying new neurochemical theory for fluctuations in the crime rate, and it is based on studies linking children's exposure to lead with violent behavior later in their lives.
Findings hold across countries
What makes Nevin's work persuasive is that he has shown an identical, decades-long association between lead poisoning and crime rates in nine countries.
"It is stunning how strong the association is," Nevin said in an interview. "Sixty-five to ninety percent or more of the substantial variation in violent crime in all these countries was explained by lead."
....
MSNBC