Lead Exposure Linked to Depression and Panic Disorders
Marc G. Weisskopf, Ph.D.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
NIEHS Grant K01ES012653
Young adults with elevated blood lead levels are more likely to have major depression and panic disorders according to research supported by NIEHS.
Lead is a well known neurotoxicant causing behavioral and learning problems in children and young adults. It has also been associated with cognitive difficulties in older adults. It is ubiquitous and is found in air, soil, dust, and water. The elimination of lead from gasoline in the late 1970s has produced dramatic decreases in the average blood lead levels of children in the U.S.
Data were analyzed from participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey aged 20-29. Of the almost 2000 participants, 134 met diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder, 44 had panic disorder, and 47 had generalized anxiety disorders. The one-fifth of the participants with the highest blood lead levels (2.11 micrograms per deciliter) were 2.3 times more likely to have major depressive disorder and nearly five times more likely to have panic disorder than the one-fifth with the lowest blood lead levels (< 0.7 micrograms per deciliter). These blood lead levels are considerably lower than the national average in the 1960s-70s and provide further evidence that there is no safe level of lead exposure.
Although this study was not designed to determine a causal link between lead and depression or panic disorder, the authors point out that low-level lead exposure disrupts brain processes involving the neurotransmitters catecholamine and serotonin. Disruptions of these processes are known to be involved in depression and panic disorders. Its plausible that exposure to lead in individuals predisposed to these conditions could trigger there development, make them more severe, or reduce their response to standard treatments.
Citation: Bouchard MF, Bellinger DC, Weuve J, Matthews-Bellinger J, Gilman SE, Wright RO, Schwartz J, Weisskopf MG. Blood lead levels and major depressive disorder, panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder in US young adults. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Dec;66(12):1313-9.
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