Early lead exposure (<3 years old) prospectively predicts fourth grade school suspension in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA).
School suspensions are associated with negative student outcomes. Environmental lead exposure increases hyperactivity and sensory defensiveness, two traits likely to increase classroom misbehavior and subsequent discipline. Childhood Blood Lead Level (BLL) test results categorized urban fourth graders as exposed (2687; lifetime max BLL 10-20 µg/dL) or unexposed (1076; no lifetime BLL ≥5 µg/dL). Exposed children were over twice as likely as unexposed children to be suspended (OR=2.66, 95% CI=[2.12, 3.32]), controlling for covariates. African American children were more likely to be suspended than white children, but lead exposure explained 23% of the racial discipline gap. These results suggest that different rates of environmental lead exposure may contribute to the racial discipline gap.
Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 550 North Park Street, Madison, WI, USA. Electronic address: amato@wisc.edu.
Michael S
MS
Amato
Sheryl
S
Magzamen
Pamela
P
Imm
Jeffrey A
JA
Havlena
Henry A
HA
Anderson
Marty S
MS
Kanarek
Colleen F
CF
Moore
D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014922:Wisconsin
D007854:Lead
Blood lead; Discipline gap; Disparities; Lead exposure; School discipline; School suspension