Air pollution - the cause of rising crime

Breathing dirty air may make you sick. But, according to new research, it can also make you more aggressive. That is the conclusion drawn by researchers from the University of Colorado. The team of experts found a link between short-term exposure to air pollution and aggressive human behavior, such as aggravated assault and other violent crimes. A study published in Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

Violent crime may result from air pollution

As the dirty air affects human?

We have repeatedly written about the fact that air pollution is a serious problem worldwide. According to expert estimates, air pollution is the cause of death of about 5, 5 million people each year. Moreover, the association between dirty air and the occurrence of mental disorders in children, as well as lower overall survival in the world. The fact that the air most cities contains a large amount of harmful substances - methane, ozone, carbon dioxide and others.

Scientists have discovered that the inhalation of polluted air, not only contributes to the development of diseases such as emphysema, but also can make a person more aggressive. The results were obtained after the analysis of the daily crime statistics of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and after studying the detailed map of the daily pollution in the United States Air for eight years.

It looks like air pollution in India

The researchers note that it is not just about physical violence. Polluted air in general makes people aggressive, and it means that people are more inclined to quarrels and verbal abuse. Thus, the dirty air significantly exacerbates a variety of situations.

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Where committed most of the crimes?

For the study, researchers conducted a cross-analysis of three highly detailed data sets: daily reports on crimes committed; daily data on air pollution with the 2006-2013 biennium. and daily data on clusters of smoke from the fires, which can be seen on satellite images. According to the researchers, 83% of crimes that the FBI considers "violent", were classified as assault in criminal databases. In the study, researchers observed where the crimes were committed - on the street or indoors.

The results are alarming, is not it?

The results showed that 56% of violent crimes and 60% of the attacks occurred indoors. Also, during with the highest air pollution violent crime increased by 1 4%. Almost all crimes were classified as assault. The study also found that increasing the exposure of such agents as ozone, was associated with an increase in violent crime to 0, 97%, or by increasing attacks on 1, 15%. The specialists note that changes in air pollution measurements did not have a statistically significant impact on other categories of crime. The authors do not claim that the observed relationship is proof that exposure to polluted air leads to aggression. Results of the study revealed a correlation between violent crime and air pollution levels, experts say.