Violence And Blood Lead Levels
BY Herschel Smith
5 years ago
More than half of the people who were perpetrators or victims of gun violence in Milwaukee in recent years had elevated blood lead levels as children, according to a study released Friday by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The study of nearly 90,000 residents, conducted at the University’s Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, suggests a link between early childhood lead exposure and gun violence in later years.
Lindsay R. Emer, the study’s lead author, said it was conducted using public health, education and criminal justice data.
After reviewing the records of 89,129 people who were born in Milwaukee between June 1, 1986, and Dec. 31, 2003, and given blood lead tests before the age of 6, Emer and other researchers found a correlation between elevated blood lead levels and the risk of being involved in gun violence.
Emer said that while the study was not able to definitively prove cause and effect, the link is striking:
According to their findings, 56% of the shooters and 51% of the victims were found to have blood lead levels equal to or greater than the recommended limit of lead exposure of 5 micrograms per deciliter.
The study originated from a dissertation Emer started she while still a doctoral student at UWM.
Since then, she has earned and defended her Ph.D., worked with the Medical College of Wisconsin and is currently a senior research consultant at the National Center for State Court.
The publication of her study, “Association of childhood blood lead levels with firearm violence perpetration and victimization in Milwaukee,” is a culmination of years of work.
Then there’s that whole issue of connecting correlation with causation. But why nits? Just accept it, yes? After all, it showing what the authors call a “striking link.” And, best of all, it answers that age old American question “Why do inner city folk engage in violence against each other?”
Some of the comments show what people tend to think about crap like this.
In the 1950’s and earlier, the world was LOADED with lead. Lead paint, lead used in auto body repairs, leaded gasoline, lead toy soldiers, lead window sash weights, lead solder, lead pipes, etc.
And no school shootings.
[ … ]
Just a smidgen of Bayesian probability would go a long way here. They are studying that, GIVEN that someone is a mass shooter, did they have elevated lead levels.
What they SHOULD be studying is that GIVEN they had elevated lead levels, are they a mass shooter/ The numbers here will be staggeringly low.
But I guess numeracy is much too much to ask for.
She wasted her time in college. But of course, that’s what a lot of people do with college when they get caught up with social justice issues. That and throw their money away. It’s a bit surprising that the university faculty would approve this dissertation. How embarrassing for them.
On October 20, 2019 at 8:28 pm, TRX said:
Uuuhhh… the “lead in blood = violent behavior” thing goes back to the 1960s. Maybe they figured nobody would notice they were recycling half-century-plus old papers…
On October 21, 2019 at 3:18 pm, Name (required) said:
Sounds as if lead in blood is a proxy for Race=Black.
On October 21, 2019 at 3:50 pm, ExpatNJ said:
The report authors wrote:
“… perpetrators or victims of gun violence … had elevated blood lead levels as children …”
So, someone took (and recorded/saved) blood samples of all of us when we were children? Quite dystopian and disturbing.
Herschel’s summation:
“surprising that the university faculty would approve this … How embarrassing …”
It would have been FAR more embarrassing for the faculty – and their ‘bosses’ – had they approved a study on fluoridation of public water supplies.
On October 21, 2019 at 7:48 pm, Henry said:
I’m with “Name (required).” Both the lead and the criminal behavior are EFFECTS of having been raised in a “street culture.” Diversity is our strife.
On October 22, 2019 at 6:04 pm, Johnny Paratrooper said:
The correlation is with violence in media and imported gang culture. When we had a nice christian society, we didn’t have these problems. Now we have ugly women, and angry men. Also, the collapse of the economy has been going on since the 1950’s when we sold out to the third world. Baltimore went first. Now it is West Virginia and Wyoming’s turn. Denver will be next.