
Lead is known to damage young children’s brains, and a new study suggests the effects may still be apparent in old age. Researchers found that among nearly 1,100 older U.S. adults, those who grew up in cities with lead-contaminated drinking water generally scored worse on tests of memory and thinking skills. The findings, experts said, suggest that older adults who were exposed to lead decades ago could be at relatively higher risk of dementia — since their cognitive starting point is typically lower. Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can cause serious health effects if it accumulates in the blood. Children younger than 6 are particularly vulnerable, as lead can damage their developing brains and cause learning or behavioral problems. Yet little has been known about whether early life lead exposure has consequences for the aging brain, said John Robert Warren, a professor at the University of Minnesota who worked on the new study. “You can count on one hand the number of studies,” he said. The new findings — published online Nov. 9 in the journal Science Advances — show only a link between childhood lead exposure and cognition later in life. They do not prove cause and effect. But Warren said there are various ways that childhood exposure could have long-range effects, including indirect means. For example, children with high blood lead… read on > read on >