THERE may be no safe level of lead for children. Even blood levels below the international safe limit damage children’s intelligence – and lead does proportionately more damage at these lower levels than at higher ones.
Researchers studied 172 young children in Rochester, New York state. They regularly monitored lead levels in the children’s blood and gave them intelligence tests when they were 3 and 5 years old.
After allowing for factors known to affect IQ, such as household income and education, the team found that children with blood lead levels up to the World Health Organization’s safe limit of 10…
