The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional.
Most pundits believe that crime is caused by economic, social and psychological factors.
But scientists at Dartmouth College are convinced that these conditions do not fully explain why some U.S. counties have only 100 violent crimes per 100,000 people each year, yet others have over 3,000. They put the blame on environmental pollution. After controlling for several variables, such as population density and income status, researchers found that higher levels of environmental pollution were associated with more violent crimes. Those counties with the highest levels of lead and manganese pollution typically experience crime rates three times that of the national average. Pollution, it seems, is right up there with poverty as a cause of criminal behavior.