Even Low Lead Levels Affect Children

Even low lead levels in children could predispose them to future health problems, including heart disease, a new study found.

Researchers said their study shows that almost any level of lead exposure negatively affects how a child’s cardiovascular system responds to stress, which could lead to high blood pressure if it continues over time.

For the study, 140 children between the ages of 9 and 11 were given a psychologically stressful computer task. Scientists measured the children’s cardiovascular function, including total peripheral resistance — a measure of arterial pressure relative to cardiac output.

As with earlier studies, the researchers found that lead levels correlated to the children’s total peripheral resistance. Increases in total peripheral resistance may predispose people to hypertension later in life.

The study also found lead exposure was associated with a decrease in circulating aldosterone levels. Aldosterone is a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure.

One of the most important findings, researchers said, was that all of the participants had very low lead levels, well below the 10 micrograms per deciliter that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines as a level of concern. The highest lead level for the children in this study was 3.8 micrograms per deciliter, and researchers still found the troubling results.

SOURCE: Study presented at the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, April 18-22 in New Orleans