Faye wrote:
> On May 28, 1:49 pm, BlackieBos...@
gmail.com wrote:
>
>> Probably not. The problem is pervasive in older, urban neighborhoods
>> and we know what that suggests.
>
> As a primary cause for violent crime, I am skeptical. If lead paint
> was used regularly prior to the late '70's, were we all not exposed to
> it growing up? If so, why was crime not so prevalent amongst the
> generations who grew up with nothing but lead paint in homes and
> everywhere else? What am I missing here?
>
Like I said, this might be debunked at some point, but the correlation
as published is compelling. It is tempting to discount such tidy
results as somehow being suspect.
As far as lead paint goes, now it's old and flaking off. It's not been
removed in many places and I've seen paint in older houses come off in
sheets. (Case in point, we had a leak in our upstairs bathroom, which
almost literally poured into the downstairs for hours before it was
discovered and stopped. The exit point was above the downstairs
bathroom door. The moisture swelled the woodwork to the point that the
entire 80 year coating of paint came off in several large pieces,
leaving absolutely bare wood. It worked like the best paint
stripper--except that the wood wasn't suitable for refinishing until it
dried out several weeks later.)
That's really tempting stuff for toddlers...who will put almost anything
in their mouths. Besides chipping and peeling, as the paint ages the
binding agents deteriorate, allowing the powdered lead content to
disperse if not covered by newer (lead free) coatings.
> I still think upbringing, family influence or lack thereof, is a, if
> not *the,* primary factor in the paths children take. And what of
> having a couple of generations now that have by and large been reared
> in institutions, daycare and such, instead of in the home with a
> parent or grandparent or someone who actually loves that child without
> being paid for the job? Many young persons seem to have a frightening
> lack of empathy for others and I don't think lead paint has anything
> to do with it.
I think the population being studied about has little access to daycare
or the sort of institutional upbringing you describe (except perhaps
incarceration).
The part where upbringing is germane lies in lack of early supervision,
where stuff coming off the walls--and especially the woodwork--is not
cleaned up, covered up or removed completely...getting ground underfoot
and thus becoming airborne or ingested whole.
The numbers, if they stand up to scientific scrutiny, speak for
themselves. Perhaps there is another factor not counted, but the
connection was first suspected in 1992. It was discounted then because
of too many variables not accounted for. This latest research model was
specifically designed to close those loopholes.
The good news is, if the numbers hold up, this could be a powerful tool
to lower public violence. Treatment for lead poisoning consists
primarily at reducing exposure; but chelation therapy is available. The
bad news is that it is dangerous in and of itself...but is effective at
reducing blood lead levels.
It can't, of course, reverse neurological damage already done.....
jak
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> Faye
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> Faye
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