Even Very Low Levels of Lead Causes Brain Damage in Children

Parents, be aware of your child's possible exposure to lead. Researchers have determined that even small amounts of lead exposure may risk harming children's health, even amounts that are far less than current federal regulations allow.

In a recent press release, researchers at Cornell University detailed their findings. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that levels of lead in blood that are less than 10 micrograms per deciliter, also known as the BLL, (approximately 100 parts per billion) are safe. Not so, according to the researchers at Cornell.

Researchers compared children who had blood levels between 0 to 5 micrograms per deciliter. They found that even at these lower levels, lead was not safe. This study was based upon the results of a previous study that this same team had done in 2003. That study monitored the level of lead in children from infancy through 5 years old.

This study was done on the same group of children when they were 6 years old. It also used a more comprehensive IQ test that allowed researchers to assess the cognitive functioning for these children.

The researchers have no doubt that exposure to even low levels of lead has a negative effect on a child's IQ. Unfortunately, the majority of children who live in poverty suffer with having elevated levels of lead in their blood. Even small elevations could contribute to lower test scores, and academic performance.

"Even after taking into consideration family and environmental factors known to affect a child's cognitive performance, blood lead played a significant role in predicting nonverbal IQ scores," said Richard Canfield, a senior researcher in Cornell's Division of Nutritional Sciences and the author of this study.

He continued, "We found that the average IQ scores of children with BLLs of only 5 to 10 mcg/dl were about 5 points lower than the IQ scores of children with BLLs less than 5 mcg/dl. This indicates an adverse effect on children who have a BLL substantially below the CDC standard, suggesting the need for more stringent regulations."