4 ms·

See also the Lead-Crime hypothesis, which proposes a causal relationship between the banning of leaded petrol and a sharp decline in crime rates: [0] https://i

by hnzix 8y ago

See also the Lead-Crime hypothesis, which proposes a causal relationship between the banning of leaded petrol and a sharp decline in crime rates: [0] https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/74298000/gif/_74298891_lead_crime_gra624.gif https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/images/74298000/gif/... [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27067615 https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27067615 Leaded petrol was made possible by Thomas Midgley, who also discovered Freon resulting in CFCs and the ozone hole.

paulannesley 8y ago
The article touches on that: > Sub-lethal exposure to lead in humans has been linked to increased aggression, with people who grow up in high-lead neighborhoods having a higher probability to be incarcerated for violent crime. They also tend to score lower in standardized tests.
throwaway415415 8y ago
Wasn't this kind of debunked?
- ghaff 8y ago
  No. The general conclusion seems to be that lead wasn't the only thing related to the decline of violent crime in the US but it was probably a significant factor.
  - nabla9 8y ago
    The evidence is not only from the US. It's from all over the world. Different developed countries have moved to unleaded different times and their violent crime rates decline as well.
aedron 8y ago
In a similar vein, the presence of lithium in drinking water has been shown to reduce violent crime, as well as general cognitive disorders [1][2]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1699579 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1699579 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24919696 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24919696
freeflight 8y ago
Imho the whole history around TEL [0] is a pretty sad example of human hubris and our tendency to underestimate the negative impacts of our actions. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead#Controversy_and_phase-out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead#Controversy_and...
- andrepd 8y ago
  Less about human hubris and more about the single drive to maximise profit to the detriment of any other considerations. My favourite part: By 2000, the TEL industry had moved the major portion of their sales to developing countries whose governments they lobbied against phasing out leaded gasoline.
  - wycs 8y ago
    Monsters.
    - maceurt 8y ago
      It is always weird to me how people refer to these people as monsters, but do very little to stop their actions, and seem to actively support them if it makes their life even slightly easier. Classifying the people who make these decisions as monsters is stupid, because it somwhow makes them seem outliers from the average human moral conduct. They aren't outliers. That is just simply how most humans are or become when they are given a large amount of power. If we want real change we are going to have to realize that 99.9% of humans are lazy, selfish, and err on the side of evil.

by hnzix 8y ago

paulannesley 8y ago

The article touches on that: > Sub-lethal exposure to lead in humans has been linked to increased aggression, with people who grow up in high-lead neighborhoods having a higher probability to be incarcerated for violent crime. They also tend to score lower in standardized tests.

throwaway415415 8y ago

Wasn't this kind of debunked?

ghaff 8y ago
No. The general conclusion seems to be that lead wasn't the only thing related to the decline of violent crime in the US but it was probably a significant factor.
- nabla9 8y ago
  The evidence is not only from the US. It's from all over the world. Different developed countries have moved to unleaded different times and their violent crime rates decline as well.

aedron 8y ago

In a similar vein, the presence of lithium in drinking water has been shown to reduce violent crime, as well as general cognitive disorders [1][2]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1699579 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1699579 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24919696 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24919696

freeflight 8y ago

Imho the whole history around TEL [0] is a pretty sad example of human hubris and our tendency to underestimate the negative impacts of our actions. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead#Controversy_and_phase-out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraethyllead#Controversy_and...

andrepd 8y ago
Less about human hubris and more about the single drive to maximise profit to the detriment of any other considerations. My favourite part: By 2000, the TEL industry had moved the major portion of their sales to developing countries whose governments they lobbied against phasing out leaded gasoline.
- wycs 8y ago
  Monsters.
  - maceurt 8y ago
    It is always weird to me how people refer to these people as monsters, but do very little to stop their actions, and seem to actively support them if it makes their life even slightly easier. Classifying the people who make these decisions as monsters is stupid, because it somwhow makes them seem outliers from the average human moral conduct. They aren't outliers. That is just simply how most humans are or become when they are given a large amount of power. If we want real change we are going to have to realize that 99.9% of humans are lazy, selfish, and err on the side of evil.