Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41175853›Full record

SynthesisEnvironment international2025

Lead exposure and antisocial behavior: A systematic review of human and animal evidence.

Rachel M Shaffer, Laura M Carlson, Kirstin Hester, Haesoo Kim, Parker F Duffney, Jenna E Forsyth, Greg Ferraro, Christine Till, Amanda Haddock, Jenna Strawbridge and 5 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Environment international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Rachel M ShafferCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. Electronic address: shaffer.rachel@epa.gov.
Laura M CarlsonCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Kirstin HesterCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Haesoo KimOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation Program, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Parker F DuffneyCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Jenna E ForsythStanford University, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford, CA, USA.
Greg FerraroDepartment of Agricultural and Resource Economics, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Christine TillFaculty of Health, York University, Ontario, Canada.
Amanda HaddockCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Jenna StrawbridgeOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation Program, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Charles C LanfearInstitute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Zahra GohariOak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Participation Program, Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Alexandra L LeeCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
Howard HuDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ellen KirraneCenter for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, and Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Funding

Intramural EPA EPA999999
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite decades of research and interventions, lead (Pb) exposure remains a global public health concern. In addition to well-documented impacts on cognition, there is growing evidence of Pb's impacts on antisocial behaviors, including aggression, conduct or antisocial disorders, and violation of social norms. We conduct a systematic review on the association between Pb and antisocial behavior from human and animal data.

methodsWe followed our protocol with selected modifications for practicality. Peer-reviewed epidemiology and toxicology literature from PubMed, BIOSIS, and Web of Science were searched through June 2024 and screened for relevance, leveraging machine-learning. Details for each Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome (PECO)-relevant study were summarized. Studies were evaluated for potential bias and sensitivity according to predefined metrics through the Health Assessment Workspace Collaborative (HAWC) system. Evidence was synthesized by sub-outcome (human: aggression; antisocial diagnoses or domains; violation of social norms; animal: aggression; social behavior) and then integrated across evidence streams, based on approaches adapted from the U.S. EPA.

resultsMore than 15,000 studies were identified. After screening and scoping refinements, 43 epidemiological and 37 animal studies were included for narrative review. In the epidemiological database, there was lack of comparability in outcome assessment methods, precluding quantitative meta-analysis. Human and animal evidence for impacts on aggression was slight. Human and animal evidence for impacts on antisocial-related disorders or domains and social behavior, respectively, was moderate. Human evidence for impacts on violation of social norms was moderate.

conclusionsFrom our updated review of epidemiological and toxicological data, we find that evidence indicates a likely causal association between Pb and antisocial behavior.

Indexed as

Antisocial Personality DisorderEnvironmental ExposureEnvironmental PollutantsLeadAggressionAnimalsHumansEnvironmental PollutantsLeadAggressionAntisocial behaviorConduct disorderCrimeLead (Pb)NeurotoxicitySystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41175853
PMCPMC13288222

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.