Lead Poisoning News and Research

RSS

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.

Toy recall fuels concern over lead poisoning in children

The recall by toy manufacturer Mattel of millions of Chinese-made toys containing lead paint and small, powerful magnets has turned the spotlight back onto lead poisoning in children.

15 Aug 2007

New tool for use in addressing lead poisoning

Lead in goat blood might not be on the top of your shopping list, but for U.S. medical personnel who each year perform more than 2 million human blood measurements, Standard Reference Material (SRM) 955c from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can't be beat.

6 Aug 2007

Lead poisoning in New York City at lowest level in more than a decade

Although childhood lead poisoning remains a serious problem, the number of new cases identified in 2006 marks the lowest level in more than a decade.

19 Jun 2007

LeadCheck Swabs not reliable

The quick, inexpensive test kits used by homeowners nationwide to detect lead-laced dust are prone to high error rates, according to a University of Rochester study.

1 Jun 2007

Study explains exactly how exposure to lead during brain development produces learning deficits

A study of young adult rats by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health provides evidence that explains exactly how exposure to lead during brain development produces learning deficits.

3 Apr 2007

The choroid plexus prevents build up of plaque related to Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have discovered that an organ in the brain called the choroid plexus apparently plays a critical role in preventing the accumulation of a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.

23 Mar 2006

Poor children at greater risk for exposure to toxic pollutants

Poor and ethnic minority children in the United States have a significantly greater risk for exposure to toxic pollutants that can affect their cognitive development and other health indicators than higher income and non-minority peers, and current local, state and federal policies appear to be failing to address these inequities.

23 Mar 2006

5-year-old British autistic boy dies after alternative therapy in U.S.

A 5-year-old British autistic boy has died after undergoing a controversial form of alternative therapy.

29 Aug 2005

Children with high blood lead levels often do not receive follow-up tests

Only about half of children who had an abnormal blood lead level screening had follow-up blood testing, according to an article in the May 11 issue of JAMA.

10 May 2005

Some children in the United States are still at risk for lead poisoning

Despite efforts to remove lead from many products, such as gasoline and paint, some children in the United States are still at risk for lead poisoning. A new study shows that children at the greatest risk for lead poisoning, and also those identified with elevated blood lead levels through screening, were the least likely to get follow-up testing needed for prevention.

10 May 2005

An exceptionally effective lead-detection protein

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and the University of Chicago have discovered that a member of a well-known protein family is better at detecting lead than any other known substance.

5 Apr 2005

Lead exposure can hinder recovery from a brain injury

Lead exposure at a young age can hurt the brain's development and cause learning and behavioral problems. It may also interfere with recovery from a brain injury.

25 Oct 2004

Lead poisoning in children may be a bigger public health issue in the UK than is currently appreciated

Britain's Health Protection Agency is warning that lead poisoning in children may be a bigger public health issue in the UK than is currently appreciated, and more research needs to be done to establish the exact threat.

14 Sep 2004

Report shows mixed results for lead screening rates in children

The New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has released a report finding that certain Medicaid and Child Health Plus (CHP) managed care health plans have lead screening rates for infants and young children below the statewide average.

15 Jul 2004

Valid, robust, easy to construct, and easy to interpret measure that could be used by any state health department for any health outcome

Five years in the making and available at no charge, the Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph gives officials and researchers for the first time a systematic way to monitor health disparities across a wide range of outcomes using basic socioeconomic information.

7 Jul 2004

100,000 child deaths ever year caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries

100 000 deaths and 6 million years of healthy life lost (or DALYs) ever year, in children and adolescents from birth to 19 years of age, are caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution, unsafe water, lead and injuries.

20 Jun 2004

Effects of lead in petrol are well-known however a recent additive to petrol manganese may be just as toxic

The disastrous environmental and health effects of lead in petrol are well-known, and western countries have been phasing it out for many years now. However, a recent additive to petrol - manganese - may be just as toxic. A Macquarie University study aims to find out.

7 Apr 2004

First large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease

NYU Medical Center has begun enrolling patients in the first large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease widely practiced by complementary and alternative medicine physicians. The new, government-funded nationwide study will determine whether the therapy benefits people with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

30 Mar 2004