Exposure to lead in the 20th century may have caused mental health problems in Americans, a new study suggests.
Researchers from Duke University and Florida State University studied the effects of lead in gasoline, which was first added in 1923 to keep car engines healthy. (It was later banned on all vehicles in the United States in 1996.)
People born between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s are thought to have had the highest exposure rates.
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According to a press release from Duke University, the study results show that childhood exposure to automobile exhaust from leaded gas contributes to mental health disparities in the United States, and that “generations of Americans have become more He said he became “depressed, anxious, and inattentive or hyperactive.”
The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, attributes an estimated 151 million mental illnesses in the past 75 years to leaded gas exposure among children in the United States.
According to the researchers, “Generation X (1965-1980), the generation with the highest exposure to lead, would have suffered the greatest losses in mental health.” (St. Petersburg)
Americans born before 1966 were “significantly more likely to experience mental health problems as a result of lead exposure and more likely to have experienced personality changes that reduced their success and resilience in life.” the researchers wrote.
“There is no safe level.”
Because lead is “neurotoxic” and can eat away at brain cells and change brain function, “there is no safe level of exposure at any point in life,” Duke said.
Young children are particularly susceptible, but the researchers noted that “at any age, our brains are not equipped to ward off lead toxicity.”
“Lead plays a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”
Dr. Aaron Ruben, lead author of the study, said in a statement that humans are “not adapted to the levels of lead exposure we have been exposed to over the past century.”
“There are few effective ways to deal with lead in our bodies, and many of us are exposed to levels 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than in nature,” he added.
The researchers said that people born before 1966 had “higher childhood lead exposure.” (St. Petersburg)
“Clinically concerning.”
Researchers analyzed historical data on children’s blood lead levels, leaded gas use, and U.S. demographics and found that as of 2015, more than 170 million Americans had blood lead levels in their blood during childhood. It was determined that the metal contained lead at “levels of clinical concern.”
Exposure to lead increased the incidence of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, but also “minor distress that impairs quality of life.”
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Co-author Matt Hauer said in a statement: “We’ve seen tremendous changes in mental health across generations of Americans, meaning that far more people are suffering from mental health problems than they would have been without lead in gasoline. It means that he has experienced the disease.”
This likely led to other long-term health complications, including lower IQ, mental health problems and cardiovascular disease, the study suggests.
Exposure to lead can harm brain development and health, especially in children, experts say. (St. Petersburg)
In a conversation with Fox News Digital, Ruben reiterated that America’s mental health “has likely been significantly impacted by Americans’ lead exposure over the past century.”
“The reduction in lead exposure was likely matched by improvements in mental health,” he said. “Lead plays a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”
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The researchers said they were not surprised that lead was harmful, but were surprised by the “magnitude” of the effect.
“We think the ‘lead problem’ was solved in the 1970s and 1980s, but that was just the beginning of the problem,” he said.
“Lead plays a larger role in our mental health than previously thought,” researchers told FOX News Digital. (St. Petersburg)
“There are millions of Americans alive today who were exposed to too much lead as children, and how those exposures affected their life trajectories. Is it giving? That’s one question we’re trying to answer.”
Ruben pointed to several limitations of the study, including that it only included two cohorts and that exposure from other sources besides gasoline was not studied.
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“Over time, we hope that more lead mental health research will become available to improve estimates based on better lead pollution curves,” he said. “Future studies should ideally be able to incorporate lead exposure from water and paint.”
“There is a growing understanding that past exposure to lead, even decades ago, can impact our health today,” the researchers said in a statement. (Getty Images)
Experts urged the public to take lead exposure seriously by eliminating the dangers that still exist in some paints, fuels, batteries and other media.
“Some Americans alive today were exposed to too much lead as children.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule in October 2024 giving cities 10 years to replace remaining lead pipes.
The agency also took steps in January 2024 to reduce lead levels in the soil of homes across the country.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, child psychologist Dr. Michele Borba said that while the current youth mental health crisis in America is largely attributable to social media, this new study on lead exposure He said he is exploring “new territory” as to what is possible. This is behind the deterioration of mental health.
Experts may be “overlooking” the long-term effects of lead exposure on the mental health of today’s adults, one expert said. (St. Petersburg)
“This is an unusual and fascinating reason that most of us have never prepared for or thought about before, but it’s not just the mental health and well-being of our children that is at risk. ” she says.
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“We may be overlooking other generations and the long-term effects of lead exposure.”
Borba commented that while more research is needed on this topic, he recommends that other mental health professionals consider lead exposure when treating patients.
