Exposure to lead at an early age can result in higher risks of committing crimes as an adult, according to researchers in Cincinnati, Ohio. Experts from the University of Cincinnati spent 30 years working on their study, following the offspring of 250 women who lived in areas with a high concentration of older, lead-contaminated housing. From 1979 to 1984, the women gave birth to 376 children whose blood-lead concentrations were measured before birth, then regularly until age 6 and a half. Researchers examined which children developed criminal records and correlated these findings with the earlier samplings of lead in their blood. They concluded: “Prenatal and postnatal blood lead concentrations are associated with higher rates of total arrests and/or arrests for offenses involving violence.”