> 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

>>
>> Faye
>>
>> Faye
>>