Mental disorders in US children linked to decades of lead exposure

Lead exposure in the 20th century may be causing mental health problems in Americans, new research suggests.

Researchers at Duke University and Florida State University are examining the effect of lead in gasoline, which was first added in 1923 to help keep car engines healthy. (It was later banned from all US vehicles in 1996.)

People born from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s are thought to have the highest exposure.

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The findings revealed that childhood exposure to lead-emission vehicle emissions has contributed to mental health disparities in the US, causing “generations of Americans to become more depressed, anxious and apathetic or overactive,” according to the Duke report.

This study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, states that approximately 151 million cases of mental disorders in the past 75 years are caused by exposure to lead gas in American children.

Americans born before 1966 experience “higher rates of mental health problems due to lead, and are more likely to experience changes in their personality that would make them less successful and resilient in life,” the researchers wrote.

‘No level is safe’

Lead is “neurotoxic” and can destroy brain cells and alter brain function — so, “there is no safe level of exposure at any point in life,” according to Duke.

Although young children are especially vulnerable to the effects, the researchers note, “No matter how old we are, our brains are not equipped to keep lead poisoning at bay.”

“Earnings play a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”

The study’s lead author Aaron Reuben, PhD, wrote in a statement that people “are not routinely exposed to lead at the levels we were exposed to a century ago.”

“We have few effective measures to deal with lead once it’s in the body, and many of us have been exposed to levels 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than natural,” he added.

The researchers said anyone born before 1966 “had higher childhood lead exposure.” (Stock)

‘Regarding the clinic’

Researchers analyzed historical data on childhood blood lead levels, lead gas consumption and American demographics, determining that more than 170 million Americans had “clinical levels” of lead in their blood as children as of 2015.

Lead exposure has caused significant levels of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, but also “minor depression that can impair quality of life.”

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“We’ve seen significant changes in mental health across generations of Americans — meaning more people have developed mental health problems than would have if we’d never added lead to gasoline,” co-author Matt Hauer said in a statement.

This is likely to result in lower IQs, mental health problems and other long-term health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, research suggests.

Exposure to the source can impair brain development and health, especially in children, experts say. (Stock)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Reuben reiterated that mental health in America was “probably influenced by the exposure of Americans to leadership in the last century.”

“Decreasing lead exposure is likely to be met by improving mental health,” he said. “Earnings play a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”

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Although the researcher said he was not surprised to find that lead caused the damage, he was surprised by the “magnitude” of its effect.

“We think that our ‘wage problem’ was solved in the 1970s and 1980s, but that was just the beginning of solving this problem,” he said.

“Earnings play a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (Stock)

“There are millions of Americans alive today who had very high levels of lead as children. How did that exposure affect their life trajectories? That’s one thing we’re determined to answer.”

Reuben pointed out some limitations of the study, including that it included only two cohorts and that it did not study exposure from sources other than gasoline.

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“As time goes on, we hope that more lead mental health studies will be available to improve our estimates based on better lead injury curves,” he said. “Future studies should be able to include lead exposure in water and paints.”

“We now understand that lead exposure in the past – even decades ago – can affect our health today,” the researcher wrote in a statement. (Getty Images)

This expert urged the public to take the exposure of lead seriously by removing the hazards that still exist in other sectors such as paint, fuel, batteries and so on.

“There are millions of Americans alive today who had very high lead exposure as children.”

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a regulation in October 2024 that gives cities 10 years to replace all remaining lead pipes.

The agency also took action by January 2024 to reduce lead levels in residential soil across the country.

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, child psychologist Dr. Michele Borba noted that the current mental health crisis in America’s youth is largely attributed to social media, but this new study on lead exposure explores a “new realm” of what’s possible. after a mental health breakdown.

Experts may be “overlooking” the lasting effects of lead exposure on the mental health of today’s adults, one expert says. (Stock)

“It’s an unusual and impressive cause that most of us have never prepared for or considered – but it’s not just the mental health and well-being of children that is at stake,” she said.

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“We may be overlooking other generations and the long-term effects of lead exposure.”

Borba noted that while more research is needed on the topic, he recommends that other mental health professionals consider exposure when treating patients.