May be due to lead exposure in the 20th century Mental health issues In Americans, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Duke University and Florida State University studied the effects 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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According to a press release from Duke, the findings revealed that childhood exposure to leaded gas vehicles contributed to mental health imbalances in the United States, leaving “generations of Americans with more depressed, anxious, and careless or “Hyperactive”.
The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, estimated that 151 million cases of psychiatric disorders over the past 75 years were attributed to gas. American children.
According to the researchers, “the generation with the highest lead exposure, Generation X (1965-1980), may have seen the greatest mental health harms.” (iStock)
Americans born before 1966 “experienced significantly higher rates. Mental health The lead resulted in problems, and possibly personality changes that would have made them less successful and resilient in life,” the researchers wrote.
‘No Safe Level’
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.
While young children are particularly vulnerable to its effects, the researchers note, “at any age, our brains are vulnerable to keeping lead toxins at bay.”
“Lead plays a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”
Lead study author Aaron Rubin, Ph.D., wrote in a statement that humans “are not exposed to lead at the levels we’ve been experiencing for the past century.”
“We have very few effective measures to deal with lead once it enters the body, and many of us are exposed to levels 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural level,” he added.
Anyone born before 1966 “had higher lead exposure as children,” the researchers say. (iStock)
‘medically relevant’
Researchers analyzed historical data on childhood blood lead levels, lead gas use and U.S. population statistics, determining that more than 170 million Americans had “clinically significant” blood lead levels as of 2015. “Relevant Level”.
Lead exposure results in increased rates of mental illness. Depression and anxietybut rather “mild discomfort that will impair quality of life.”
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“We’ve seen significant changes in mental health across generations of Americans — meaning many more people would have had psychological problems if we had never added lead to gasoline,” co-author Matt Hore said in a statement. ”
This can potentially result in lower IQs, mental health problems and other long-term problems. Health complicationsLike heart disease, studies show.
Experts say lead exposure can affect brain development and health, especially in children. (iStock)
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Rubin reiterated how mental health in America “has been significantly affected by the leadership exhibited by Americans over the last century.”
“Decreased lead exposure was likely offset by improved mental health,” he said. “Lead plays a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought.”
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While the researcher said he was not surprised to find that lead causes harm, he was surprised by the “magnitude” of its effect.
“We assumed our ‘lead problem’ was solved in the 1970s and 1980s, but that was only the beginning of solving the problem,” he said.
“Lead plays a bigger role in our mental health than previously thought,” one researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There are millions of Americans alive today who had high lead exposures as children. How have those exposures affected their life course? That’s something we’re ready to answer.”
Rubin pointed out some limitations of the study, including that it included only two cohorts and did not study exposure from sources other than gasoline.
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“As time goes on, we hope that more mental health studies will become available to us to refine our estimates based on better lead damage curves,” he said. “Future studies Ideally should be able to include exposure to lead from water and paint.”
“We are beginning to understand that past exposure to lead — even decades in the past — may be affecting our health today,” one researcher wrote in a statement. (Getty Images)
The expert urged the public to take lead exposure seriously by eliminating the dangers in certain paints, fuels, batteries and other sources.
“There are millions of Americans alive today who were exposed to high levels of lead as children.”
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a regulation in October 2024 giving cities 10 years to replace any remaining lead plumbing.
The agency also took action in January 2024 to reduce lead levels in soil in residential homes nationwide.
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In an interview with Fox News Digital, child psychologist Dr. Michelle Borba noted that much of the current youth mental health crisis in America has been blamed on social media, but that new research on lead exposure A “new realm” explores what could be. Behind mental health disorders
Experts are “overlooking” the long-term effects of lead exposure on the mental health of today’s adults, an expert said. (iStock)
“It’s an unusual and exciting cause that most of us have never thought of or prepared for – but it’s not. Children’s mental health And welfare is at stake,” he said.
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“We may be overlooking other generations and the long-term effects of lead exposure.”
Borba commented that while more research is needed on the topic, she recommends that other mental health professionals consider lead exposure when treating patients.