Ongoing dangers from chronic low-level lead poisoning have been highlighted in a recent paper by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researchers, Simon Fraser University, Harvard Medical School, and Boston Children’s Hospital.

The issue significantly contributes to cardiovascular disease in adults and cognitive impairments in children, even at levels once deemed safe. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the findings reveal that lead exposure is linked to preterm birth, cognitive deficits, ADHD, increased blood pressure, and reduced heart rate variability.

Lead poisoning is responsible for an estimated annual loss of 765 million IQ points globally among children. In adults, it can lead to chronic kidney failure, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, with an alarming 5.5 million deaths attributed to cardiovascular issues related to lead exposure each year.

Professor Ana Navas-Acien, a prominent figure in environmental health, emphasizes the profound global burden of lead exposure, which disproportionately impacts children—over 600 million worldwide suffer from lead poisoning.

Lead is especially harmful to infants whose developing bodies absorb it rapidly. In adults, most retained lead is stored in bone, and conditions like menopause can release lead back into the bloodstream, increasing health risks.

Despite significant declines in lead exposure since the 1970s, its legacy remains. Common sources of exposure include lead paint in older homes, leaded gasoline residues, contaminated water, and industrial pollution.

Certain populations are more vulnerable to lead poisoning, particularly toddlers in poorly maintained pre-1960 housing, those consuming water from lead pipes, and residents near lead-emitting sites.

Studies reveal that airborne lead levels are higher in racially segregated communities. The thresholds for harmful blood lead levels have been repeatedly lowered, but no safe level has yet been identified for children.

Navas-Acien and her colleagues stress the importance of identifying and eliminating lead sources, advocating for the removal of lead-acid batteries, replacing lead service lines, banning leaded aviation fuel, and addressing lead contamination in food, housing, and soil.

Addressing these environmental hazards is essential to protect community health, particularly for vulnerable populations.