Lead Exposure in Children Results in Decreased Brain Volume
Posted by Alex
Lead used to be a common ingredient of paint and other products due to it’s excellent weathering properties, till scientists found that it could cause severe maladies should it get ingested or inhaled in the form of dust from flaking paint. Much of the lead paint we have still exist thanks to its longevity as a protective coating but they are most certainly to be in a state where they can easily be inhaled or ingested due to flaking or sanding of painted surfaces. The effects of lead poisoning resulted in the banning of the substance from paint products due to apparent health issues. To this day, there are still tonnes of the stuff painted all over the place left over from an era where it’s effects were still not quite understood. Exposure of pregnant mothers resulted in children who have less brain volume as they developed into adults which may mean decreased mental facilities or other diseases of the brain.
Massive exposure is a sure way to get brain damage and being children, it tends to limit the amount of brain tissue leading to many irreversible adult diseases. The many regions of the brain get damaged and get severely limited as to function limiting their ability to learn and function as normal adults. Lead has long been banned yet it still plagues us today as we try to get rid of the nasty old paint that may be in our homes, more so if the one you happen to be living in is of age.