Does Air Pollution Increase Violent Crime?

When EPA assesses the costs and benefits of environmental regulations, it typically looks at direct health impacts resulting from exposure to pollutants. According to a recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by Evan Herrnstadt and Erich Muehlegger, EPA may need to start assessing the costs of another set of pollution impacts – violent crime. In Air Pollution and Criminal Activity:  Evidence From Chicago Microdata, Herrnstadt and Muehlegger conclude that exposure to air pollution increases violent crime.

It's a fascinating article. The simple summary is that Herrnstadt and Muehlegger looked at local crime data in Chicago and compared crime rates upwind and downwind of the major interstates in Chicago.  They found that: