Doleac, Jennifer. “New Evidence That Lead Exposure Increases Crime.” Brookings (blog), June 1, 2017. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-that-lead-exposure-increases-crime/.

A brief meta analysis of the evidence provided by three different studies on the effects of lead exposure to children and the increased incidence of their potential adult criminal behavior.

Compare this with the levels of insanity induced in TEL production discussed in https://doi.org/10.1179/oeh.2005.11.4.384 (or alternately at https://environmentalhistory.org/about/ethyl-leaded-gasoline/) via https://hypothes.is/a/7MBWvHW7Ee6a8dvvDy9Aqw

Kovarik, William. “Ethyl-Leaded Gasoline: How a Classic Occupational Disease Became an International Public Health Disaster.” International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 11, no. 4 (2005): 384–97. https://doi.org/10.1179/oeh.2005.11.4.384.

Samizdat version: https://environmentalhistory.org/about/ethyl-leaded-gasoline/

Environmental Impact of WW1 by NHC Education Programs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lucJElPVYOk

I've come to think that the purpose of part 1 of the book is part rhetorical device (ethos). David Lipsky is using it to build up some credibility as a writer. He's covering topics that many are likely somewhat knowledgeable about, but is adding some additional color, details, and information which most surely don't know. This has the effect of showing the depths to which he's researched the topics to be able to weave them into such a story.

This will tend to pay off as he begins addressing the potentially more contentious (for some) material in the climate crisis section.