A set of leggings with a matching Minnie Mouse shirt, freeze-dried blueberries, a face cream; These seemingly unrelated items shared one toxic trait — they were recalled because they contained a dangerously high level of lead.
The Minnie Mouse outfit, for example, used lead paint to print the smiling character onto the shirt and matching daisies onto the pants. Almost 90,000 units were sold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although government bans have reduced lead exposure, the heavy metal can still be found in consumer goods as well as water pipes and paint in older houses. Scientists have found that lead poisoning can be detrimental to physical and mental health. Studies have also found it’s a persisting problem in many U.S. cities.
What Is Lead Poisoning?
Lead poisoning happens when a person has been exposed to the toxin and develops a buildup in their body. Both adults and children can experience lead poisoning, but kids are especially at risk because their growing bones are softer and more malleable.
“Children are more susceptible to lead poisoning because they absorb lead to a higher degree than their adult counterparts,” says Glenn Goodwin, a physician and the research director at Aventura Hospital and Medical Center in Miami.
Lead poisoning can negatively affect all organs. “The organ that is the most at the forefront is the brain,” Goodwin says. “[Lead is] evident in lowering IQs and causing personality changes.”
In a 2021 research review in Toxics, researchers examined epidemiological studies on how lead impacted people during various life stages. Children ages two to four years old with high lead levels had decreased motor skills and language development. They also displayed depression, aggression, and sleep problems.
Another study in the review found that children ages six to twelve with high lead levels showed slow cognitive functioning and delayed reactions. They also had a “flat affect,” meaning they lacked facial expressions and voice intonations.
Older adults were also affected. In one study, people ages 50 to 60 with lead poisoning had memory issues and difficulty learning new information. They struggled with problem-solving and executive functioning.
Read More: Past Lead Exposure Shrank IQ Scores for Millions of Americans
Health and Mental Health Issues
More than half of Americans have been exposed to high levels of lead, and studies have found it has taken a toll on their mental health.
A 2024 study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that lead exposure likely caused a “significant burden” in mental illness in the U.S.
The researchers looked at data from 1940 to 2015 and analyzed blood lead levels for children during this time. They found that exposure to lead increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They concluded that 151 million excess mental health disorders can be traced to lead exposure during early childhood development.
Similarly, a 2019 study in JAMA Psychiatry followed 579 New Zealand children over three decades and found that children exposed to lead were more likely to grow up to have anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, or substance abuse issues. They were also more likely to have “difficult personality traits” like being argumentative or neurotic.
Lead poisoning can also lead to a variety of physical issues, including stomach pain, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Adults can also experience high blood pressure, kidney issues, anemia, and issues with their muscle coordination.
In a 2021 study in the Journal of Urban Health, researchers surveyed adult residents of Flint, Michigan, where the water was known to have been tainted with lead. The respondents reported having physical symptoms like skin rashes and hair loss. Those who experienced physical symptoms were also more likely to report having psychological trauma, including depression and anxiety.
Lifelong Exposure
How have so many people been exposed to toxic levels of lead? There were several common ways people were exposed during these decades, including lead in gasoline, consumer products, and water lines.
Leaded gasoline was the standard in cars until unleaded was introduced in the 1970s. Cars began to transition to unleaded gasoline, but it was common for gas station attendants to ask, “leaded or unleaded?” well through the 1980s, until engines that ran on leaded gasoline were phased out.
Consumer products like household paint and cans used for food storage also contained lead until a Federal ban in 1971. Although bans helped reduce how people could be exposed to lead, many Americans are still exposed to lead daily.
The Environmental Protection Agency finds there are 9.2 million lead service lines, which is about 10 percent of the nation’s water service lines. States like Florida and Illinois have the highest percentage, while Alaska has the least.
In a 2024 study in Cureus, a team of researchers examined the water pipe infrastructure in Chicago and found that 400,000 lead service lines were still in use and that 95 percent of these problematic pipes were in low-income neighborhoods.
The study identified Chicago politics as the primary reason why the city has so many lead service lines. In the 1950s, the mayor passed a city code that mandated using lead pipes. Pipe installation involved work by a licensed plumber, which endeared the mayor to a large, powerful union.
“You have the city’s history and the behind-the-scenes deals with unions. All this corruption is having medical ramifications,” says Goodwin, the study’s lead author.
And it’s a medical ramification that Goodwin says many physicians are not trained to anticipate.
“I’m an ER doctor, and we’re taught about all these poisons,” Goodwin says. “With lead poisoning, it’s taught that it’s not really a thing anymore unless you’re in Flint. But as I came across in this paper — it’s a huge problem.”
Read More: Ancient Lead Poisoning May Have Contributed to the Roman Empire’s Downfall
Article Sources
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Emilie Lucchesi has written for some of the country’s largest newspapers, including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and an MA from DePaul University. She also holds a Ph.D. in communication from the University of Illinois-Chicago with an emphasis on media framing, message construction and stigma communication. Emilie has authored three nonfiction books. Her third, A Light in the Dark: Surviving More Than Ted Bundy, releases October 3, 2023, from Chicago Review Press and is co-authored with survivor Kathy Kleiner Rubin.
