New study: lead exposure affects mental health



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Its penetration into the body of children causes psychological problems during their life.

Cairo: Dr. Hani Ramzy Awad

There is no doubt that constant exposure to heavy metal vapor and various pollutants in the atmosphere leads to many health problems that have a direct impact on humans. or indirectly on climate, plants and other organisms.
Given the importance of the subject, thousands of studies on different points of view have been found. The latest is an American study by researchers at Duke University, which has drawn attention to the many health risks and prolonged exposure of children to increasing amounts of harmful metals. That these risks can affect the mental abilities of children in the distant future.

– lead penetration
The study, published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Association (JAMA), traced 600 babies born in New Zealand between 1972 and 1973. This is the period when the vapors of different gaseous products contain large amounts of lead. Exposure to lead-based gases was measured at the age of 11, followed by a survey of mental and mental health and cognitive abilities in these children aged 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38 years old.
When measuring the level of lead in the blood, almost all the children studied had high levels of lead in the blood. Most of them had minimal but very serious psychological problems in adulthood, and then at a later age, which made them more anxious and tense. And a more nervous excitement.
The researchers also found that exposure to increasing amounts of lead fumes was associated with increased rates of addiction, smoking, and alcoholism, as well as periods of depression, schizophrenia , obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and sometimes even total psychosis.
The researchers pointed out that the most dangerous is the use of lead pipes in the citizens' water supply for a given period of time, which means that many children, even those who are not directly exposed to fumes and gases , were injured, especially because the impact of lead on children is related to previous studies and related to the event Decreased levels of IQ IQ and behavior change.
The researchers noted that the risk was previously in the absence of these symptoms only after long periods of up to three decades, which required manufacturers of petroleum products and different gases to treat them without a sufficient gravity. But now, you have to strictly control the amount of lead that must be found in each product and not allow these levels to be exceeded at all.

– Life problems
According to the study, the psychological and mental changes caused by this exposure could have been associated with the child all his life. New Zealand in the 1970s was one of the countries where the products to lead base, such as gasoline. Of course, continued efforts to combat environmental pollution have paid off.
For example, at the beginning of this study, when blood lead levels were measured in 11-year-old children, 94% of their blood contained 5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (mcg-dL). Take steps to perform numerous tests and radiation to make sure they do not adversely affect the body.
In addition, when repeated surveys of children's mental and psychological health were found to be more susceptible to mental illness and psychosis, the important question the study was trying to answer was: "These children who became adults at age 40 or 50 can they be treated now? . Unfortunately, there is no cure for these effects for several decades, but the symptoms can only be alleviated by a history of exposure to large amounts of lead, which must be taken into account by doctors when diagnosing some psychiatric diseases, Become an assistant.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has pointed out that positive changes in children's mental health since controlling lead ratios are very promising and that the amounts of lead in children's blood can not be compared to those of the sixties six or eighty of the last century. But the most important role in preventing exposure to lead remains the foundation, and governments need to be concerned as they deserve, especially as children absorb more lead from adults, through the respiratory tract or the body. digestive system, from lead-based products used as beverages
Governments must be careful not to set up factories near residential areas and to raise awareness of the danger of lead and its impact on the body. They must also indicate the components of any product used and the proportion of lead they contain, and do not contain utensils used in food and drink, Balls.

– Consultant in Pediatrics

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