A lot of lead from gasoline, house paint and industrial emissions has ended up in soil, and it poses serious health risks.
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Researchers found blood-lead levels in sparrows were a predictable indicator of blood-lead levels in children – showing how humans and nature are inextricably linked.
Acid Mine Drainage in Gauteng, South Africa, has polluted the water and soil in Soweto.
Courtesy Professor Craig Sheridan, University of the Witwatersrand
Some Nobel Prize-winning ideas originate in strange places, but still go on to revolutionize the scientific field. George de Hevesy’s research on radioactive tracers is one such example.
Childhood exposure to lead can limit cognitive development and cause a drop in IQ.
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Researchers found that children exposed to secondhand smoke had higher than average levels of lead in their blood.
Waterways and communities for miles around Idaho’s Bunker Hill mine were contaminated with lead after the 1973 fire.
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A fire and decades of silver and lead mining created the largest contiguous Superfund site in the nation in what today is one of the fastest-growing states. It includes popular Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Lead levels in backyard hen eggs are often much higher than in eggs bought in the shops. A new study of soil lead, chickens and eggs locates the high-risk areas in our biggest cities.
Reconstruction of Haikouichthys ercaicunensis based on fossil evidence.
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Burning leaded gasoline releases toxic lead into the environment, and for 100 years people around the world have been dealing with the health effects. How did a century of toxic fuel come to be?
Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of toxic pollutants that can be harmful to both the lungs and the brain.
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Pollution from more frequent floods and wildfires – exacerbated by the warming climate – is threatening human health and poses particular risks to the brain.
Testing kids for lead exposure starts with a fingertip prick.
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The Centers for Disease Control has announced a new, stricter standard for lead poisoning in children, which will more than double the number of kids considered to have high blood lead levels.
The lead pipes in some old buildings could contaminate drinking water.
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Those directly exposed to toxic dust and trauma on and after 9/11 carry with them a generation of chronic health conditions, which are placing them at higher risk during the pandemic and as they age.
Vintage leaded petrol pumps on an old garage forecourt in the UK.
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New research found that smoke from the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, carried high concentrations of lead. An environmental toxicologist explains what else you’re breathing and how to stay safe.
A lead pipe (left) seen through a hole in the kitchen ceiling in the home of Desmond Odom, in Newark, New Jersey.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
President Biden has proposed spending $45 billion to replace every lead water pipe and service line in the nation. A public health expert explains why he sees this as a worthwhile investment.