I am reading a module titled Sociology of Deviance this semester, whereby topics surrounding crime and criminology are discussed. This got me thinking about the relationship between crime and air pollution. And before I knew it, I was delving into the depths of websites and research articles highlighting the positive correlation between these two variables – something I never knew about. 

Breathing polluted air not only makes us sick, but it could also even indirectly account for the proportion of criminal behavior within a society. This is especially so on days when air pollution levels dip below safety standards. Researchers from Colorado State University found that a 0.01 parts-per-million increase in same-day exposure to ozone is associated with a 0.97% increase in violent crime or a 1.15% increase in assaults.

Fig 1 denotes that the higher or more unhealthy the air quality index, the higher the crime rates recorded.

Fig 1: scatter plot depicting a strong positive link between residual pollution and crime (Source: Bondy, et. al. 2018)

This could be due to the fact that dirty air can increase people’s aggression. Air pollution has significant impacts on our cognition, as discussed in my previous blog post. Scientific literature confirms that pollutants interfere with one’s neuro-chemical regulation systems, hindering our ability to regulate our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. When the cognitive functioning of the brain is impaired, we are inclined to make more impulsive decisions which thus results in aggressive acts.

Although the aforementioned numbers may not seem that significant, any rise in crime rates signals more people being violated or harmed, and it is usually the marginalized groups in society that are disproportionately at risk of becoming victims. A research paper examining the contemporaneous relationship between crime and air pollution backed this claim by stating that the estimated effect of pollution on crime is larger in the wealthiest and poorest regions of London. 

Another study conducted by Columbia and Harvard University researchers also posited that the cognitive effects of pollution are recurrent due to the “broken window” effect. The heightened crime rates in a polluted environment will negatively impact people’s attitudes towards the environment, which leads to further anti-social and aggressive tendencies unless local authorities take action. 

Furthermore, the statistics presented only account for physical crimes, however, it has yet to take into consideration the possibility of verbal crimes (eg. hate speech) and domestic violence. Although such crimes are relatively invisible to the public eye, the emotional and psychological damage inflicted upon victims has long-lasting traumatic impacts. 

What these findings highlight is that the effects of air pollution are both tangible and intangible, signifying a pressing need to adopt measures to curb pollution worldwide. 

 

Bibliography

Bondy, M., Roth, S., & Sager, L. (2018). Crime is in the Air: The Contemporaneous Relationship between Air Pollution and Crime. London: IZA Institute of Labor Economics.

Broom, D. (2019, October 29). Scientists now think air pollution is fuelling violent crime. Retrieved from World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/air-pollution-violent-crime/

Burkhardt, J., Bayham, J., Wilson, A., Carter, E., Berman, J. D., O’Dell, K., . . . Pierce, J. R. (2019). The effect of pollution on crime: Evidence from data on particulate matter and ozone. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 98: 102267.

Colorado State University. (2019, October 3). Exposure to air pollution increases violent crime rates. Retrieved from Science Daily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191003114007.htm#:~:text=Researchers%20also%20found%20that%20a,any%20other%20category%20of%20crime.

Lu, J. G., Lee, J. J., Gino, F., & Galinsky, A. D. (2018). Polluted Morality: Air Pollution Predicts Criminal Activity and Unethical Behavior. Psychological Science, 29(3):340-355.

Mallinson, F. (2022, March 2). How Air Pollution Acts as a Force Multiplier for Aggressive Behavior, and What Can Be Done About it. Retrieved from Georgetown Security Studies Review: https://georgetownsecuritystudiesreview.org/2022/03/02/how-air-pollution-acts-as-a-force-multiplier-for-aggressive-behavior-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/#:~:text=Inflammation%20of%20the%20brain%20impairs,%C2%B5g%2Fm3)%20of%20PM2.