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Developmental lead exposure and adult criminal behavior: A 30-year prospective birth cohort study.

ABSTRACT: Using a variety of research designs and measures of lead absorption, numerous studies link childhood lead exposure to a range of cognitive and behavioral deficits, including low IQ, impulsivity, juvenile delinquency, and criminal behavior in adolescence and early adulthood. In this study, we tested the association between multiple measures of blood lead concentration assessed in childhood with criminal behavior in adulthood and across the life-course. Prospective data from the Cincinnati Lead Study (CLS) included blood lead measures quarterly across the first 78 months of life and the number of times a person was arrested across the life-course (from age 18 to 33 years) and in later adulthood (age 27 to 33 years). Childhood blood lead concentration prospectively predicted variation in adult arrests and arrests over the life-course, indicating lead absorption is implicated in the etiology of crime-especially in geographic areas where environmental sources of lead are more prevalent and concentrated. Efforts to decrease lead exposure in both developed and developing countries should be part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce social dislocation and crime.

SUBMITTER: Wright JP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8582283 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Developmental lead exposure and adult criminal behavior: A 30-year prospective birth cohort study.

Wright John Paul JP Lanphear Bruce P BP Dietrich Kim N KN Bolger Michelle M Tully Lisa L Cecil Kim M KM Sacarellos Catherine C

Neurotoxicology and teratology 20210220

Using a variety of research designs and measures of lead absorption, numerous studies link childhood lead exposure to a range of cognitive and behavioral deficits, including low IQ, impulsivity, juvenile delinquency, and criminal behavior in adolescence and early adulthood. In this study, we tested the association between multiple measures of blood lead concentration assessed in childhood with criminal behavior in adulthood and across the life-course. Prospective data from the Cincinnati Lead St ...[more]

PMID: 33617950

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Project description:ImportanceAlthough the effects of lead (Pb) exposure on neurocognition in children have been confirmed, the individual associations of prenatal Pb exposure and its interaction with genetic factors on cognitive developmental delay (CDD) in children remain unclear.ObjectiveTo investigate the association of prenatal Pb exposure and its interaction with genetic factors with CDD risk.Design, setting, and participantsWomen in Wuhan, China, who had an expected delivery date between March 2014 and December 2017, were recruited for this prospective cohort study. Children were assessed for cognitive development at approximately 2 years of age (March 2016 to December 2019). Maternal venous blood, cord blood, and venous blood from children were collected in a longitudinal follow-up. Data analysis was performed from March 2022 to February 2023.ExposurePrenatal Pb exposure, and genetic risk for cognitive ability evaluated by polygenic risk score constructed with 58 genetic variations.Main outcomes and measuresCognitive developmental delay of children aged approximately 2 years was assessed using the Chinese revision of the Bayley Scale of Infant Development. A series of multivariable logistic regressions was estimated to determine associations between prenatal Pb exposure and CDD among children with various genetic backgrounds, adjusting for confounding variables.ResultsThis analysis included 2361 eligible mother-child pairs (1240 boys [52.5%] and 1121 girls [47.5%]; mean [SD] ages of mothers and children, 28.9 [3.6] years and 24.8 [1.0] months, respectively), with 292 children (12.4%) having CDD. Higher maternal Pb levels were significantly associated with increased risk of CDD (highest vs lowest tertile: odds ratio, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.13-2.13), adjusting for demographic confounders. The association of CDD with maternal Pb levels was more evident among children with higher genetic risk (highest vs lowest tertile: odds ratio, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.48-4.55), adjusting for demographic confounders.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study, prenatal Pb exposure was associated with an increased risk of CDD in children, especially in those with a high genetic risk. These findings suggest that prenatal Pb exposure and genetic background may jointly contribute to an increased risk of CDD for children and indicate the possibility for an integrated strategy to assess CDD risk and improve children's cognitive ability.

Dataset Information

Developmental lead exposure and adult criminal behavior: A 30-year prospective birth cohort study.

Publications

Developmental lead exposure and adult criminal behavior: A 30-year prospective birth cohort study.

Similar Datasets

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