Sarah Toce
Generations of the general population have likely been negatively impacted by lead in gasoline, a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry revealed.
The study examined the human mental health cost of exposure to lead in gasoline during the childhood years between the date range of 1940-2015. Lead was banned from automobile fuel in 1996.
Findings showed the national population experienced an estimated 151 million excess mental health disorders attributable to exposure to lead from car exhaust during children’s early development. This resulted in millions of excess cases of psychiatric disorders over the last 75 years.
According to the abstract: “Investigation of specific disorder-domain symptoms identified a 0.64-standard-deviation increase in population-level Internalizing symptoms and a 0.42-standard-deviation increase in AD/HD symptoms. Population-level Neuroticism increased by 0.14 standard deviations and Conscientiousness decreased by 0.20 standard deviations. Lead-associated mental health and personality differences were most pronounced for cohorts born from 1966 through 1986 (Generation X).”
The abstract continued, “Lead’s potential contribution to psychiatry, medicine, and children’s health may be larger than previously assumed. …Lead exposure in early life can be particularly disruptive to brain development, resulting in lowered cognitive ability, fine motor skills, and emotional regulation capacity.”
“Exposure to even small amounts of lead can harm your child. Children younger than six years of age are most vulnerable to lead poisoning. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, lead can harm your baby,” posted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While lead poisoning from this study cannot be reversed, experts say knowledge is power. Read more about protecting yourself and loved ones from lead poisoning.
