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A study being published in JAMA today links long-term lead exposure to cataracts, according to numerous press reports. From the AP dispatch:
A study has found a link between lead exposure and the development of cataracts in older men, adding to the list of harmful effects blamed on the heavy metal. To measure the men's long-term, cumulative exposure to lead, the researchers analyzed their shin bones, where lead is believed to remain for up to 20 years.The AP story says that upwards of 20 million American over age 65 suffer from cataracts -- the leading cause of blindness.
The men with the highest lead levels were found to be 2.7 times more likely to have cataracts than those with the lowest levels.
"These are, to our knowledge, the first data suggesting that accumulated lead exposure, such as that commonly experienced by adults in the United States, may be an important, unrecognized risk factor for cataract," said the researchers, led by Debra Schaumberg, assistant professor of medicine and ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.
The researchers said the highest levels of lead were not outside the range of what would be found in the general American population of older adults.
The study gave no information about how the participants were exposed to lead, but common sources include leaded gasoline, paint, water and air pollution.
2 Comments:
Lead also increases you risk for almost every type of cancer plus put you at risk of mental illness and many other problems
Rusty
http://cancer-symptoms.org/
Multiple sources of lead contribute varying amounts of lead to the environment. As lead is a useful and widely used material, all people are exposed to lead from sources such as older paint, industrial emissions and petrol and lower level sources including fertilizers and building materials. Pathways such as dust, soil and air transfer lead from sources into living environments where they are primarily inhaled, ingested and, in some cases, absorbed through the skin. While some sources contribute more lead than others (especially older paint), combined, multiple low-level inputs can result in a significant aggregate exposure and a range of health effects.
Information gathered by Medicare Supplier Directory
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