ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the hypothesis that uptake of neurotoxic metals may be among the many factors contributing to the unusually high and widely varying rates of violent crime in the United States. The hypothesis rests on findings that loss of impulse control and increased aggressive behavior can be related to abnormalities of brain chemistry caused by a complex interaction of insufficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals, toxic uptake, alcoholism, and social stress. After reviewing evidence at the level of individual neurochemistry, ecological data will be presented to show that, controlling for standard socio-economic and demographic variables, environmental releases of lead and manganese predict geographical differences in rates of violent crime. Although this approach to criminal violence might seem at first unduly reductionist, analysis of the complex interactions between brain biochemistry, environment, and behavior explains otherwise puzzling variations in crime rates and suggests potentially effective approaches to crime prevention.
