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The evidence for a connection between removing lead from gas and reduced violent crime is much stronger than just a correlation: http://www.motherjones.com/envi

• infogulch 10y ago
  Other sources of lead, such as paint, are still an epidemic in poor neighborhoods. I wonder how much of an impact it's having, and if there's a measurable correlation with the age of houses and violent crime.
  • macintux 10y ago
    I'd heard that the most violent areas in New Orleans are those with high concentrations of lead in the environment, and a quick Google search brought up this piece from February that states that precisely: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure...
    • allengeorge 10y ago
      Couldn't that be correlation as well? That is - those neighborhoods are the least likely to be rehabilitated and the buildings retrofitted to remove pollutants?
      • Noseshine 10y ago
        Yes, but unlike for pure correlation we actually have a mechanism that could explain it. So it isn't on the level of "all we have is correlation", but of course it also isn't on the level of "we know for sure".