Exposure to car exhaust from leaded gas, which was phased out in 1996, resulted in anxiety, depression and ADHD symptoms in generations of people, researchers found.

Summary

A new study estimates that childhood exposure to leaded gasoline caused 151 million excess mental health disorders in the U.S. from 1940 to 2015.

Generations, especially those born between 1966 and 1986, experienced higher rates of anxiety, depression, and impulsivity, with Generation X most affected.

The research builds on prior studies linking lead exposure to cognitive and behavioral harm, underscoring the lasting impact of environmental toxins.

Though lead was banned from gasoline in 1996, it persists in paint, water lines, and soil.

  • theangryseal@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    22 days ago

    I can point to a billions examples(not really) of lead exposure in my childhood. I definitely ate lead paint, bit lead sinkers when fishing, was exposed to leaded gasoline.

    On top of that my brother and I regularly played with mercury as kids.

    It honestly might explain all of the violence in my home when I was growing up. Everyone in my house suffered from crippling anxiety.

    Maybe it was something else, but damn I wouldn’t want to go back to the madness of my childhood. Wouldn’t it be crazy if lead was the culprit?