ArticleScientific reports2021
The effects of the exposure to neurotoxic elements on Italian schoolchildren behavior.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association between heavy metals exposure and risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring the link between toxic metal exposure and ADHD: a systematic review of pb and hg.Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Prenatal urinary biomarkers of metal and metalloid exposure and child neurodevelopmental outcomes in Puerto Rico.Environmental research · 2026Article
- Review
- Association Between Hair Trace Element Content and Children's Growth and Development: Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Surveillance Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Review
- Maternal health disparities linked to stressful life events: a cross-sectional study of industrialized Italian cities.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Intergenerational narratives of toxicity: understanding heterogeneity and care in a polluted steeltown (Taranto, Italy).BioSocieties · 2025Article
- Effects of Blood Lead Levels <10 µg/dL in School-Age Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review.Pediatrics · 2024Article
- An ecological study shows increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children living in a heavily polluted area.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- A multi-environmental source approach to explore associations between metals exposure and olfactory identification among school-age children residing in northern Italy.Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2024Article
- Sex-specific associations between co-exposure to multiple metals and externalizing symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood.Environmental research · 2024Article
- Creating safety amidst chronic contamination: A mixed-method analysis of residents' experiences in a Southern Italian steel town.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2024Article
- Early childhood exposure to environmental phenols and parabens, phthalates, organophosphate pesticides, and trace elements in association with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in the CHARGE study.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2024Article
- Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2024Article
- Subchronic Arsenic Exposure Induces Behavioral Impairments and Hippocampal Damage in Rats.Toxics · 2023Article
- The association between lead exposure and crime: A systematic review.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- Chronic tobacco smoking, impaired reward-based decision-making, and role of insular cortex: A comparison between early-onset smokers and late-onset smokers.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Stigmasterol upregulates PDGFRα, contributing to white matter protection and anxiolytic-like behavior in a mouse model of vanadium-induced demyelination.Frontiers in neurologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders are constantly increasing on a global scale. Some elements like heavy metals are known to be neurotoxic. In this cross-sectional study we assessed the neurobehavioral effect of the exposure to trace elements including lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, arsenic and selenium and their interactions among 299 schoolchildren residing in the heavily polluted Taranto area in Italy. Whole blood, urine and hair were collected for metal analyses, while the Child Behavior Checklist and the Social Responsiveness Scale, administered to the main teacher and the mothers were considered to identify behavioral problems in children. Blood lead mainly influenced social problems, aggressive behavior, externalizing and total problems. Urinary arsenic showed an impact on anxiety and depression, somatic problems, attention problems and rule breaking behavior. A significant interaction between lead and arsenic was observed, with a synergistic effect of the two metals increasing the risk of attention problems, aggressive behavior, externalizing problems and total problems. Overall, we were able to test that higher blood lead, urinary arsenic concentrations and their interaction increase the risk of neurobehavioral problems. This is in line with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's priority list of hazardous substances where arsenic and lead are ranked as first and second respectively.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.