'Childhood lead exposure not linked to adult criminal behaviour'

Vartha Bharati | 27-12-2017 | 15:37:00 IST

New York: Dispelling previous findings, a new study has said that children exposed to lead at a young age are less likely to be involved in criminal practices later in adulthood.

Responses toward lead exposure should focus on health consequences, and not potential criminal consequences, the study suggested.

Lead is a neurotoxin with well-documented effects on health.

Previous studies detected associations between childhood blood lead level and criminal offending owing to the toxic effect of lead disproportionately affecting people with low socioeconomic status.

However, the new study weakens association between lead exposure and adult criminal behaviour, the researchers said.

"There is no clear association between higher childhood blood lead levels and a greater risk for criminal behaviour (a dose-response relationship) in settings where blood lead levels are similar across low and high socioeconomic status," said Amber L. Beckley, from the Duke University, in North Carolina.

For the study, detailed in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the team involved 553 individuals from New Zealand, whose blood lead levels were measured at age 11.

There cumulative criminal conviction, self-reported criminal offending, recidivism (repeat conviction), and violence were followed up to age 38.

The researchers removed low socioeconomic status as a factor because high blood lead levels were observed among children from all socioeconomic groups.

The results showed that childhood lead exposure was weakly associated with conviction and self-reported criminal offending up to age 38.

Further, lead exposure was also not associated with recidivism or violence.

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Three arrested for throwing egg on BJP MLA Munirathna in Bengaluru

25-12-2024 ¦ 25-12-2024 IST

BJP MLA Munirathna

Bengaluru, Dec 25: Three people were arrested for throwing an egg at BJP MLA Munirathna during an event here on Wednesday, police said.

The MLA was participating in an event to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Nandini Layout in the city when miscreants threw an egg at him, a police officer said.

The MLA accused Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, his brother and former MP D K Suresh, and their confidantes of "orchestrating" the attack.

"This was an attempt to kill me. Nearly 150 people were brought in to finish me. I would have been killed if my supporters and policemen were not present. D K Shivakumar, D K Suresh, Hanumantharayappa, and some others were involved," Munirathna alleged.

Shivakumar, who was in Belagavi, rejected the allegation, saying he was busy preparing for the centenary celebrations of the 1924 Indian National Congress session, which was presided over by Mahatma Gandhi.

Suresh also dismissed the charge, claiming that Munirathna was "threatening" Congress workers in his area.

He alleged that the MLA had staged the attack to divert public attention from the issue.

Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara confirmed the arrests. "Three people have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing to identify who they are and why they did it," he told reporters.

BJP state president B Y Vijayendra condemned the attack.

"Such an attack is not just an insult to Munirathna, but the entire state. Just because you (Congress) are in power, you are attacking people. An attack on a public representative is highly condemnable," Vijayendra told reporters.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and former Minister C T Ravi also condemned the incident.

Munirathna, who is facing several police cases, including a rape case, was recently released on bail.

Egged in #Bengaluru #BJP MLA (Rajarajeshwarinagar) Munirathna, who is out on bail in a rape case, was struck on his head with an egg near Kanteerava Studio in the northern part of the city. He blamed his political detractors for the attack. pic.twitter.com/wcLoKVXaKr
— TOI Bengaluru (@TOIBengaluru) December 25, 2024

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