ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2017
Blood Lead Levels and Learning Disabilities: A Cross-Sectional Study of the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the link between toxic metal exposure and ADHD: a systematic review of pb and hg.Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of prenatal lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic exposure on children's neurodevelopment in an artisanal small-scale gold mining area in Northwestern Tanzania using a multi-chemical exposure model.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and learning disabilities in children and adolescents: A propensity score matching analysis.Tobacco induced diseases · 2025Article
- Rising prevalence of parent-reported learning disabilities among U.S. children and adolescents aged 6-17 years: NSCH, 2016-2023.PloS one · 2025Article
- Effects of Blood Lead Levels <10 µg/dL in School-Age Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review.Pediatrics · 2024Article
- Early-Life Lead Exposure: Risks and Neurotoxic Consequences.Current medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Microglia and Astroglia-The Potential Role in Neuroinflammation Induced by Pre- and Neonatal Exposure to Lead (Pb).International journal of molecular sciences · 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
- Microglial Activation in Metal Neurotoxicity: Impact in Neurodegenerative Diseases.BioMed research international · 2023Review
- Co-exposure to lead, mercury, and cadmium induces neurobehavioral impairments in mice by interfering with dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in the striatum.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Commentary on the Risk Assessment of Lead by the Food Safety Commission of Japan.Food safety (Tokyo, Japan) · 2022Article
- Sex-specific effects of fluoride and lead exposures on histology, antioxidant physiology, and immune system in the liver of zebrafish (Danio rerio).Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2022Article
- The Effect of Lead Exposure on Autism Development.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Community Engagement and Outreach Programs for Lead Prevention in Mississippi.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Association between blood lead levels and blood pressure in American adults: results from NHANES 1999-2016.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2020Article
- Article
- Pre- and Neonatal Exposure to Lead (Pb) Induces Neuroinflammation in the Forebrain Cortex, Hippocampus and Cerebellum of Rat Pups.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Article
- Intelligence gain and social cost savings attributable to environmental lead exposure reduction strategies since the year 2000 in Flanders, Belgium.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities are present among persons diagnosed with learning disabilities (LDs). Previous studies suggest a significant relationship between lead (Pb) exposure and LDs. This study evaluated the potential dose-response relationship between blood Pb levels and the risk of LDs. This cross-sectional study examined 1411 children (32,788,743 weighted-persons) between 6 and 15 years old from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) by analyzing demographics, health related-questions, and laboratory tests using survey logistic and frequency modeling in SAS. On a µg Pb/dL basis, a significant dose-dependent relationship between increasing blood Pb levels and increasing risk of LDs was observed (odds ratio (OR) = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.43). The relationship remained significant when examining covariates such as gender and race (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.00-1.40). By contrast, no dose-dependence was observed between increasing blood Pb levels and the risk of hay fever in the last year (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.56-1.056), a non-plausibly biologically related outcome of blood Pb levels. Persons in the 50th-75th (12.80%) and 75th-100th (17.14%) percentiles of blood Pb were significantly more likely to have LDs than persons in the 0-50th percentile of blood Pb (8.78%). An estimated 1 million persons born in the US from 1989 to 1998 developed LDs from elevated blood Pb levels. Overall, this study revealed a significant dose-dependent association between increasing childhood blood Pb levels and the risk of a LD diagnosis, but it was not possible to ascribe a direct cause-effect relationship between blood Pb exposure and LD diagnosis. Childhood Pb exposure should be considered when evaluating children with LDs, and continuing efforts should be made to reduce Pb exposure.
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