Lead Poisoning News and Research

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Lead is a naturally occurring metal that has been used extensively throughout history. Its usage is traced right back to ancient history. High exposure to lead, particularly in young children, is associated with health complications. Lead poisoning is not a new phenomenon. Reports of lead poisoning from water pipes and wine containers date back to Roman times.

CHOP and Penn Medicine join hands to address environmental hazards and protect vulnerable children

Children in the Greater Philadelphia area face a number of environmental threats to their health, including lead poisoning, asthma from air pollution, and exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

21 Mar 2022

Dangerous levels of lead were found in the water of about half the schools tested in Montana

About half of Montana schools that had tested their water by mid-February under a new state rule had high levels of lead, according to state data.

2 Mar 2022

Will the future of global health rely upon addressing air pollution?

We speak to Dr. Philip Landrigan about his latest research into air pollution and how African countries are in a prime position to take action against it.

12 Nov 2021

‘Drinking through a lead straw’ — $15B approved to fix dangerous water pipes

No one knows exactly how many lead pipes deliver water to homes, schools and businesses throughout America — or even where they all are. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates at least 6 million lead service lines exist. Environmental groups say it's probably many more.

8 Nov 2021

Hard lessons from a city that tried to privatize public health

If you were growing up in Detroit in the 1970s or '80s, chances are you knew the city's Herman Kiefer public health complex by both sight and reputation.

6 Aug 2021

Latin American communities heavily affected by mercury and lead contamination

Intervention programmes are vitally needed to support Amazonian communities exposed to mercury contamination in Latin America, and children who are among those most affected by lead poisoning.

13 Jul 2021

Damage to children’s education — and their health — could last a lifetime

Before the pandemic, 16-year-old Na'ryen Cayou had everything he needed. He had his own room. A partial scholarship to a boys' prep school. A spot playing trombone in the marching band, performing in parades all over New Orleans.

1 Jul 2021

Environmental lead poisoning has cross-generational consequences

Japanese and Zambian scientists have shown that environmental lead poisoning in children affects not only their own health and wellbeing, but the vitality and mental health of their mothers, as well.

30 Jun 2021

Black and Hispanic Americans suffer most in biggest US decline in life expectancy since WWII

Although James Toussaint has never had covid, the pandemic is taking a profound toll on his health.

24 Jun 2021

Study finds high levels of lead in indigenous people in Peruvian Amazonia

Lead is a toxic metal, and its widespread use has led to significant environmental pollution and public health problems in many parts of the world.

7 Jun 2021

New research could help solve major challenge in the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines

New research by University of Texas at Dallas scientists could help solve a major challenge in the deployment of certain COVID-19 vaccines worldwide -- the need for the vaccines to be kept at below-freezing temperatures during transport and storage.

15 Apr 2021

Simple soil remediation can save children from lead toxicity

Simple soil remediation can substantially reduce levels of the toxic metal lead in the blood of children living in heavily contaminated areas, says a new study conducted in Bangladesh.

2 Feb 2021

Report: 800 million children have dangerously high lead levels in blood

As many as 800 million children have dangerously high lead values in their blood. The neurotoxin can cause permanent brain damage.

5 Nov 2020

Precise screening index pinpoints areas at risk for low-level lead exposure in Georgia

While many people think of lead poisoning as a problem of the past, chronic exposure still occurs in some communities that may be missed in limited screening programs for children's blood lead levels.

27 Oct 2020

Researchers examine implications for lead-safe housing in Cleveland

More than 103,000 rental units spread across the city proper are potentially vulnerable to lead contamination because they were built before 1978 when lead paint was outlawed.

22 Oct 2020

Low-level developmental lead exposure increases risk of relapse to alcohol seeking in mice

A new IU study examining effects of low-level developmental lead exposure in mice could explain why some people dependent on alcohol return to using.

13 Oct 2020

800 million children have high lead levels in their blood

As many as 800 million children have dangerously high lead values in their blood. The neurotoxin can cause permanent brain damage.

1 Oct 2020

Kids are missing critical windows for lead testing due to pandemic

Families skipping or delaying pediatric appointments for their young children because of the pandemic are missing out on more than vaccines. Critical testing for lead poisoning has plummeted in many parts of the country.

11 Sep 2020

Study shows link between high blood lead levels and aberrant methylation of DNA

Scientists have unveiled a correlation between high blood lead levels in children and methylation of genes involved in haem synthesis and carcinogenesis, indicating a previously unknown mechanism for lead poisoning.

7 Aug 2020

Inconsistent standards put thousands of children at increased risk of lead poisoning

Two federal environmental standards regulating lead hazards in homes and child care facilities have different maximum thresholds, a discrepancy putting more than 35,000 kids in the United States at increased risk of lead poisoning.

6 Aug 2020