Childhood lead exposure linked to dementia risk decades later
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For millions of Americans born between 1951 and 1980, childhood exposure to lead may still be shaping health decades later. During the era of leaded gasoline, lead paint, and widespread industrial contamination, the toxic metal accumulated in children’s bodies and became stored in their bones. As bones naturally break down with age, some of that accumulated lead can reenter the bloodstream, potentially exposing the brain again later in life. Researchers are increasingly examining whether this lifetime burden of lead contributes to cognitive decline and raises the risk of dementia, turning an environmental hazard of childhood into a possible threat to brain health many decades later.
Source
Reuben A. Childhood Lead Exposure and Adult Neurodegenerative Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;64(1):17-42. doi: 10.3233/JAD-180267. PMID: 29865081; PMCID: PMC6454899.
Additional Reading
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/lead-absorbed-child-may-cause-144631604.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/lifetime-lead-exposure-may-harm-brain-health