Lead May Be the Culprit in ADHD

[The Straight Story]

Lead May Be the Culprit in ADHD

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2010) — ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is among the costliest of behavioral disorders. Its combination of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity leads to accidental injuries, school failure, substance abuse, antisocial behavior and more. Yet despite nearly a century of study, the disorder’s roots remain mysterious.

Much of modern ADHD research has focused on heritability of the condition, and indeed evidence suggests that genes may account for as much as 70 percent of hyperactivity and inattention in children. But that leaves 30 percent unexplained, so recently the focus has shifted to the environment. What is it that triggers an underlying susceptibility and changes it into a full-blown disorder? New research suggests that the culprit may be an old villain—lead—and what’s more it explains the causal pathway from exposure to disability.

Lead is a neurotoxin. This has been known for a long time, and in fact government regulation drastically reduced environmental lead a generation ago. But regulating automobile fuel and paint didn’t entirely eliminate lead from the environment. It’s found in trace amounts in everything from children’s costume jewelry to imported candies to soil and drinking water. Every American today is exposed to low levels of the metal, and indeed nearly all children have measureable levels of lead in their bodies. According to psychological scientist Joel Nigg of the Oregon Health & Science University, this universal low-level exposure makes lead an ideal candidate for the disorder’s trigger.

This was just a theory until quite recently, but two recent studies now provide strong evidence. The first study compared children formally diagnosed with ADHD to controls, and found that the children with the disorder had slightly higher levels of lead in their blood. This study showed a link only between blood lead and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, not inattention. But a second study showed a robust link between blood lead and both parent and teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms, including both hyperactivity and attention problems. In both studies, the connection was independent of IQ, family income, race, or maternal smoking during pregnancy.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128130227.htm

[Dinger]

1. My Son Has ADD

It's been a long road.

[EFerrari]

10. Both of my sons, mild cases. Also my brother.

But where in the world did the lead come from?

[county worker]

12. paint on walls and toys maybe

[etherealtruth]

14. Leaded gasoline from years gone by ....

Even those born long after the 1970's may be effected by the contamination from years of leaded gasoline use. Lead persists in most urban areas. Additionally, toys, jewelry etc from some over seas manufacturers.

[Luciferous]

11. So does my daughter, but it runs in my family

so I doubt lead has anything to do with it in her case.

[anonymous171]

2. Interesting theory. nt

[opihimoimoi]

3. This explains them Republicans and their crazy behavior...their inattention to facts

and scientific evidence

Is it the Lead that led us down the Dismal Path?

We should test them Republicans for high levels of Lead is all I'm saying....

(Laugh)

[madokie]

9. Don't laugh

You may not be too far off

[jmowreader]

13. You might be onto something without really realizing it

Conservative daddies washed their hands in gasoline Way Back When--and gasoline used to contain lead. Liberal daddies used Lava Soap.

Conservative mommies used to let junior play with paint chips. Liberal mommies swept them up.

Conservative mommies let their kids sniff car exhaust--leaded-fuel exhaust smells good. Liberal mommies didn't.

It is very, very possible that all the environmental lead exposure Republicans got a long time ago cooked their brains.

[opihimoimoi]

15. There has to be an explanation for their rejection of everything not THEIRS...Bullies do this.

Your points are viable....plausible...

I note the cause also seems to be congenital and/Family related..

[Blue Owl]

4. I remember 2-3 years ago GWB slackened environmental standards

So that more lead could legally be dumped into the environment. Because more lead is always good.

Thanks GWB, you piece of shit.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mainer]

6. Isn't lead also linked to lower IQ's?

It was posed as the explanation for why children in more polluted countries and in ghettos have a harder time in school.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Yes; there are many reasons - mostly poverty-related - but lead is considered as one factor

[aquart]

8. Really? How does lead link to synethesthesia?