Lead Poisoning Linked To Behavioral Problems

A study of 1,341 preschoolers in China has shown that an average blood lead level as low as 6.4 μg/dL can result in behavioral problems.

AsianScientist (Jul 7, 2014) – While blood levels of lead greater than 10 μg/dL are known to lower a child’s IQ, a study has now shown that even lower levels can cause behavioral problems in children. The prospective cohort study of 1,341 preschoolers in Jintan, China has been published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

Lead exposure is a problem in developing countries where children have higher blood lead levels than in the United States or Europe. Although the effects of lead poisoning on IQ are well documented, much less is known about its effects on behavior in children.

Using data from a sample of preschoolers in China for whom blood lead level concentrations were available (measured at age three to five), researchers studied the link between blood lead levels and behavioral problems as assessed using the Chinese version of the Child Behavior Checklist and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form when children were six years old.

They found that children in the sample had a moderately elevated average blood lead concentration of 6.4 μg/dL. The authors also found associations between blood lead levels and teacher-reported behavioral problems at six years of age. However, the authors note that because they only measured blood lead concentrations once in children at ages three to five years, it is unclear whether the problems seen at age six reflect lead exposure at the time of measurement, during the prenatal period or during the first two years of life.

“Further examination is needed to more clearly delineate the biological effects of environmental lead exposure and resulting behavioral impairments among children and to assess the long-term clinical significance of these findings,” the authors concluded.

The article can be found at: Liu et al. (2014) Blood Lead Concentrations and Children’s Behavioral and Emotional Problems: A Cohort Study.

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Source: The JAMA Network Journals; Photo: Anna/Flickr/CC.
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