Lead poisoning may hasten death for millions: Study

PARIS: Persistent, low-level exposure to lead over decades is statistically linked to some 400,000 premature deaths in the US each year, far more than previously thought, researchers said on Monday.

Compared to people with little or no lead in their blood, those with high levels – at least 6.7 milligrammes per decilitre – were 37% more likely to die early, according to a new study in The Lancet Public Health journal.

The risk of succumbing to coronary heart disease doubled in such cases, the study found.

“Low levels of lead exposure are an important, but largely ignored, risk factor for death from cardiovascular disease”, mainly heart attacks and strokes, said lead author Bruce Lanphear, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada.

He said the new research challenges “the assumption that specific toxicants – like lead – have ‘safe levels’”.

Lanphear and his team reviewed two decades of health data for more than 14,000 adults in the US from 1990 to 2011.

People can be exposed to lead via fuel, paint and plumbing, as well as around smelting sites or by handling lead batteries. Lead contamination can also occur in drinking water, as well as foods stored in lead-tainted containers.

Safety regulations have significantly reduced the risk of lead exposure in recent decades, but the heavy metal can persist in the body for many years. – AFP