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Effect of childhood proximity to lead mining on late life cognition
Mark Lee1,2, Haena Lee3, John Robert Warren1,2
1Minnesota Population Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Introduction:
Lead exposure negatively affects cognitive functioning among children. However, there is limited evidence about whether exposure to lead in early life impairs later life cognitive functioning.
Methods:
Participants in the prospective Wisconsin Longitudinal Study cohort (N = 8583) were linked to the 1940 Census, which was taken when they were young children. We estimated the effect of living near a lead mine in childhood on late life memory/attention and language/executive function in 2004 (mean age 64) and 2011 (mean age 71).
Results:
Lead-exposed children had significantly steeper memory/attention decline between 2004 and 2011 and worse language/executive function at baseline in late life. These long-term effects of lead were not mediated through adolescent IQ or late life SES and health factors.
Discussion:
Proximity to lead mining in childhood had long-term effects on late life memory/attention decline and language/executive function, reflecting a possible latent influence of lead exposure. More research is needed to understand behavioral and biological pathways underlying this relationship.
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