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.

The other COVID risks: How race, income, zip code influence who lives or dies

It started with a headache in late March. Then came the body aches.

22 Apr 2020

Safer mining practices can help reduce lead poisoning

A pilot program to introduce safer mining practices in Nigerian gold mining communities has reduced blood lead levels by 32% according to a study published today.

21 Oct 2019

Topsoil is key harbinger of lead exposure risks for children, Tulane study finds

Tracking lead levels in soil over time is critical for cities to determine lead contamination risks for their youngest and most vulnerable residents, according to a new Tulane University study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Oct 2019

New book shows how marginalized urban communities address environmental health disparities

A new book details the insights learned from communities that came together to overcome long-standing and seemingly insurmountable environmental public health challenges.

18 Sep 2019

Is higher fluoride intake in pregnancy affecting kids’ IQ?

A new study suggests that fluoride consumption at higher levels in pregnancy could be linked to a decline in IQ by a few points in the children. Experts disagree on the acceptability of this finding, which has stirred up questions about fluoridation of public drinking water supplies.

20 Aug 2019

New project reveals beautification processes used by women over the ages

Centuries of dangerous practices used by women in the pursuit of beauty are being showcased in a new project revealing brutal beauty regimes, from sewing hair into eyelids to replacing eyebrows with mouse skin.

9 Jul 2019

Simple test can easily measure common stress hormones

Stress is often called "the silent killer" because of its stealthy and mysterious effects on everything from heart disease to mental health.

24 May 2019

ToxicDocs: The largest database on industrial poisons

Johnson & Johnson, the world's largest health care products maker, is in the midst of more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming that its iconic baby powder is linked to cancer.

12 Dec 2018

Study addresses continued challenges of lead poisoning prevention

Over the years, the Centers for Disease Control and its partners have made major progress towards reducing lead exposure in the United States. But more work remains in preventing lead poisoning in US children and adults, according to a special supplement to the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

5 Dec 2018

Study highlights potential risks of lead exposure from ‘non-traditional’ sources

The study by Paromita Hore, PhD, MPH, and colleagues at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene highlights the potential risks of lead exposure from "non-traditional" sources, even as US population blood levels continue to decline.

4 Dec 2018

Researchers examine blood lead concentrations of Flint children before and after water crisis

Flint children's blood lead levels were nearly three times higher almost a decade before the year of the Flint water crisis, new research shows.

26 Mar 2018

Hospitals find asthma hot spots more profitable to neglect than fix

Keyonta Parnell has had asthma most of his young life, but it wasn't until his family moved to the 140-year-old house here on Lemmon Street two years ago that he became one of the health care system's frequent customers.

6 Dec 2017

People who use indoor firing ranges at risk of lead poisoning

Indoor firing ranges may put hobby shooters, law enforcement officers and employees at risk from lead exposure, particularly if proper dust-control measures are not in place.

22 Nov 2017

Study finds link between high blood lead levels and pre-eclampsia

More than a century since a Brisbane doctor found that lead in paint destroyed children’s lives, new research from Griffith University concludes that it is a major risk factor for pre-eclampsia.

6 Oct 2017

Lead in water leading to problems with fertility and childbirth in Flint, Michigan

Researchers from the University of Kansas, Department of Economics in a new working paper series in Theoretical and Applied Economics write that with the change in water sources in Flint, Michigan since April 2014, lead exposure to the population has risen.

22 Sep 2017

Hydrogel-based capsules may help patients adhere to medications

Around half of all medications for chronic diseases are not taken as prescribed, costing the U.S. health care system more than $100 billion in avoidable hospital stays each year.

25 Jul 2017

New non-toxic elements can replace harmful lead-containing materials in electronic products

Most smartphones and other electrical or electronic products contain small amounts of lead, which doesn't sound like a big problem on its own. But when there are many billions of such products, either in daily use or gone astray, the total sums up to very large amounts of lead - which is a toxic heavy metal.

12 Jul 2017

AMA votes to adopt new policies for improving health of the nation

The American Medical Association, the premier national physician organization in the country, voted this week to adopt new policies aimed at improving the health of the nation. The new policies were approved during the voting session of the AMA’s Annual Meeting.

19 Jun 2017

Detectable heavy metal lead, found in 20% baby food samples sparking alarm

According to a new report, there were significant levels of lead found in 20 percent of baby food samples raising concerns. There have been reports in the past of paint chips or paints containing lead as well as contaminated water that can lead to lead poisoning.

19 Jun 2017

Lead detected in 20% of baby food samples, surprising even researchers

Pediatricians and public health researchers know they have to be on the lookout for lead exposure from paint chips and contaminated drinking water. A new report suggests food — particularly baby food — could be a problem, too.

16 Jun 2017