The study found that after controlling for major socio-demographic correlates of crime there is a strong positive relationship between lead in air levels and subsequent crime rates.
Mark Taylor, a professor of environmental science at Macquarie University and the research team's leader, said the study was the first of its kind in Australia to test a potential link between aggressive crime and childhood lead exposure on such a broad scale.
The study showed that the concentration of lead particles in the air reliably predicted changes in the rates of aggressive crime. Lead explained 30 % of the variance in assault rates 21 years later.
