Low-level environmental lead exposure in childhood and adult intellectual function: a follow-up study

Environmental Health

Research

Janine Bacic¹  Kathleen Abanilla²  Matthew Gregas³  David C Bellinger⁴  Maitreyi Mazumdar⁴  Herbert L Needleman⁵ 

[1] Clinical Research Program, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, USA;Clinical Research Program, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, USA;Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, MA, Boston, USA;University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA;

关键词: Lead Concentration;    Lead Exposure;    Environmental Lead Exposure;    Cord Blood Lead;    Childhood Lead Exposure;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1476-069X-10-24

 received in 2010-12-20, accepted in 2011-03-30,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundEarly life lead exposure might be a risk factor for neurocognitive impairment in adulthood.ObjectivesWe sought to assess the relationship between early life environmental lead exposure and intellectual function in adulthood. We also attempted to identify which time period blood-lead concentrations are most predictive of adult outcome.MethodsWe recruited adults in the Boston area who had participated as newborns and young children in a prospective cohort study that examined the relationship between lead exposure and childhood intellectual function. IQ was measured using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI). The association between lead concentrations and IQ scores was examined using linear regression.ResultsForty-three adults participated in neuropsychological testing. Childhood blood-lead concentration (mean of the blood-lead concentrations at ages 4 and 10 years) had the strongest relationship with Full-Scale IQ (β = -1.89 ± 0.70, p = 0.01). Full-scale IQ was also significantly related to blood-lead concentration at age 6 months (β = -1.66 ± 0.75, p = 0.03), 4 years (β = -0.90 ± 0.41, p = 0.03) and 10 years (β = -1.95 ± 0.80, p = 0.02). Adjusting for maternal IQ altered the significance of the regression coefficient.ConclusionsOur study suggests that lead exposure in childhood predicts intellectual functioning in young adulthood. Our results also suggest that school-age lead exposure may represent a period of increased susceptibility. Given the small sample size, however, the potentially confounding effects of maternal IQ cannot be excluded and should be evaluated in a larger study.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Mazumdar et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011