ArticleEnvironmental research2017
Background lead and mercury exposures: Psychological and behavioral problems in children.
Article in Environmental research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lead exposure and antisocial behavior: A systematic review of human and animal evidence.Environment international · 2025Pooled it
- Review
- Epigenetic Regulation of the BDNF Gene by Molybdenum in 9 to 11-Year-Old Children: A Targeted Gene DNA Methylation Study.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Article
- Elucidating Biological Links in Autism Spectrum Disorder: From Blood-Based Risk Factor Identification to a Validated Nomogram for Early Risk Stratification.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2026Article
- Essential element and toxic metal dyshomeostasis in childhood autism spectrum disorder: a comprehensive narrative review of correlations, tissue-specific distribution, and multifactorial regulation.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026Review
- Epigenetic changes and their potential reversibility in mental health disorders.Essays in biochemistry · 2025Review
- Impact of early adolescent lead exposure on brain function and response: Findings from a Chinese cohort.Neurotoxicology · 2025Article
- Linking soil-metal concentrations with children's blood and urine biomarkers in Syracuse, NY.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Heavy metals, noradrenaline/adrenaline ratio, and microbiome-associated hormone precursor metabolites: biomarkers for social behaviour, ADHD symptoms, and executive function in children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Joint Effects of Lifestyle Habits and Heavy Metals Exposure on Chronic Stress Among U.S. Adults: Insights from NHANES 2017-2018.Journal of xenobiotics · 2025Article
- Effects of Blood Lead Levels <10 µg/dL in School-Age Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review.Pediatrics · 2024Article
- Race, cortisol, and subclinical cardiovascular disease in 9- to 11-year-old children.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2023Article
- Exposure to Arsenic and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children, Syracuse, New York.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Lead Exposure Can Affect Early Childhood Development and Could Be Aggravated by Stunted Growth: Perspectives from Mexico.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Pre- and postnatal exposure to legacy environmental contaminants and sensation seeking in Inuit adolescents from Nunavik.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Early childhood lead exposure and adolescent heart rate variability: A longitudinal cohort study.Environmental research · 2022Article
- Blood lead levels mediate the relationship between social adversity and child externalizing behavior.Environmental research · 2022Article
- Physical activity is associated with lower pulsatile stress but not carotid stiffness in children.Journal of human hypertension · 2022Article
- Association between lower-level of environmental lead exposure and reactive and proactive aggression in youth: Sex differences.Journal of environmental science and health. Part C, Toxicology and carcinogenesis · 2022Article
- Longitudinal association of early childhood lead exposure and adolescent heart rate variability: influence of parental education.Journal of environmental science and health. Part C, Toxicology and carcinogenesis · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe potential harm from exposure to nonessential metals, particularly mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), has been the focus of research for years. Initial interest focused on relatively high exposures; however, recent evidence suggests that even background exposures might have adverse consequences for child development. Identifying the extent of these consequences is now a priority.
methodsWe assessed blood Pb and Hg levels in a biracial sample of 9-11 year-old children (N = 203). Neurodevelopment and psychological functioning assessments included hostility, disruptive behaviors, emotion regulation, and autism spectrum disorder behaviors. Parasympathetic (vagal) responses to acute stress were indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during stress.
resultsWith increasing Pb levels, children exhibit higher levels of hostile distrust and oppositional defiant behaviors, were more dissatisfied and uncertain about their emotions, and had difficulties with communication. These significant associations were found within a range of blood Pb levels from 0.19 to 3.25μg/dL, well below the "reference value" for children of >5μg/dL. Vagal reactivity interacted with Hg such that increasing Hg was associated with increasing autism spectrum behaviors for those children with sustained vagal tone during acute stress.
conclusionsThis study is the first to demonstrate an association between very low-level Pb exposure and fundamental psychological mechanisms that might explain prior associations with more complex outcomes such as delinquency. Analyses of vagal reactivity yielded entirely novel associations suggesting that Hg may increase autism spectrum behaviors in children with sustained vagal tone during acute stress. The novelty of these later findings requires additional research for confirmation and the cross-sectional nature of the data caution against assumptions of causality without further research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.