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Lead Exposure Drove a Hidden Mental Health Crisis in the U.S., Study Reveals
The toxic metal lead has cast a long shadow on our collective well-being. A new study published Wednesday shows that lead exposure during the 20th century significantly worsened Americans’ brain health, likely helping cause many more cases of mental illness that otherwise would have never happened.
Scientists at Duke University and Florida State University conducted the study, building on their past research of lead’s impact on our health. They estimated that childhood lead exposure — particularly during the decades when it was most found in gasoline — has directly contributed to 151 million more cases of psychiatric disorder among Americans over the past 75 years. The findings indicate that lead has been even more dangerous to humanity than we knew.
Car manufacturers began to add lead to gasoline in the 1920s, aiming to reduce wear and tear on the engines. Leaded gasoline eventually became Americans’ single largest source of lead exposure, reaching a peak during the 1960s. But while scientists had long known that heavy lead exposure was bad for us, it became firmly established by the 1970s that even small amounts of lead could be harmful, especially to the brains of developing children.
Nearly One in Five US Teens Experienced Depression Last Year
As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, the topic has been reignited by the release of a new book titled The Anxious Generation, by New York University social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who links the rise in mental health illness directly to the proliferation of social networks and smartphones. While Haidt writes that social media and smartphones are not the only causes of the mental health epidemic seen in several countries, he points to how such technologies are hindering children’s healthy development by reducing their time spent playing with friends in real life, eating into time for sleeping, as well as corroding their self esteem.
Even children who do not use social media are struggling, he argues, due to the changes brought about to social life. Critics say, however, that correlation is not the same as causation and that the data does not show a complete picture. As the following chart shows, the share of U.S. 12-17 year olds having experienced a depressive episode in the past year has risen from 7.9% in 2006 to 18.1% in 2023.
Exposure to Air Pollution Increases Infertility Risk, US Study Finds
Maternal and paternal exposure to common air pollutants may increase the risk of infertility because it can be detrimental to egg, sperm and embryo development, new research in the U.S. finds. Previous papers have established that air pollution exposure probably contributes to infertility, but it has been unclear whether the toxins affected men or women because both parents face similar exposures. That also made it difficult to establish when in the conception process damage occurred.
The new study looked at about 1,400 men and women attempting to have a child through in vitro fertilization. That allowed researchers to look at donor oocytes, which turn into eggs, and sperm that were developed in isolation from each other, and in physically different areas. It was generally assumed that air pollution harmed women more, but the new research shows paternal exposure is a problem, too.
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Majority Supports Social Media Ban For Children
Australia has passed a social media ban for teenagers and children under the age of 16, which will apply to companies including Instagram, X and TikTok. The measure is intended to reduce the “social harm” done to young Australians and is set to come into force from late 2025. Tech giants will be up against fines of up to A$49.6 million ($32.5 million) if they do not adhere to the rules.
As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, the new law was approved on Thursday, with support from a majority of the general public. However, the blanket ban has sparked backlash from several child rights groups who warn that it could cut off access to vital support, particularly for children from migrant, LGBTQIA+ and other minority backgrounds.
Critics argue it could also push children towards less regulated areas of the internet.
The new legislation is the strictest of its kind on a national level and comes as other countries grapple with how best to regulate technology in a rapidly-evolving world.
Smartphones Should Carry Health Warning, Spanish Government Told
Smartphones sold in Spain should carry a label warning users about their potential health impacts, experts have told the Spanish government, in a report that calls for doctors to ask about screen time during checkups.
As Spain pushes forward with a draft law to limit children’s exposure to technology, the 50-member committee of experts has also called for minors to have limited exposure to digital devices until they are 13 to mitigate what they see as a public health problem.
The experts’ nearly 250-page report, seen by the newspaper El País, recommends that children under the age of three do not have any exposure to digital devices, while children up to six years old should be allowed to access them only on an exceptional basis.
For children between six and 12, the use of so-called “dumb phones” — which do not have access to the internet and which are limited to calls — should be prioritized, as should offline activities such as sports.
