# Reducing Lead in Gas Reduces Crime

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reducing-lead-in-gas-reduces-crime/423741>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 23, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reducing-lead-in-gas-reduces-crime/423741 "2007-10-23T19:42:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reducing-lead-in-gas-reduces-crime/423741/1 "2007-10-23T19:42:05Z")

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Apparently, crime in the 90’s was reduced by 56% by the elimination of leaded gasoline in the 70’s.

[Here’s a story on it.](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/21/magazine/21wwln-idealab-t.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1193069109-tIv/I01qmqYqqX/fw3A7Iw&oref=slogin)  
and  
[Here’s the research paper.](http://www.amherst.edu/%7Ejwreyes/papers/LeadCrimeNBERWP13097.pdf)

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**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reducing-lead-in-gas-reduces-crime/423741/2 "2007-10-23T20:17:56Z")

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So _that’s_ why I lost interested in my decade-long killing spree. Huh. I’ll be damned.