Tobacco, lead exposure linked to ADD/ADHD

Published: November 24, 2020

The study, which will be published in the December 2009 issue of Pediatrics magazine, claims that a child is more at risk of being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD when their mother smokes during pregnancy or if they are exposed to lead during their childhood years.

Children who were exposed to prenatal tobacco were found 2.4 times more likely to suffer from ADD/ADHD, whereas those who were found to have been exposed to lead (the higher exposures) were 2.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder.

The chances of being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in children who were found to have been exposed to both toxins were eight-fold.

According to the Daily Mail, Dr. Tanya Froelich, of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said: “Tobacco and lead exposure each have their own important adverse effect.

“But if children are exposed to both lead and pre-natal tobacco, the combined effect is synergistic.”

Prenatal tobacco values were measured in the amount of cigarettes a mother would smoke and lead exposure was determined by blood tests.

Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD, is a term that is applied to the inattention of an individual.

WebMD.com reports that researchers examined more than 2,500 children in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004.

Celebrities who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD include Will SmithMichael PhelpsJim Carreyand Jamie Oliver.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Papierosa_1_ubt_0069.jpeg, Author: Tomasz Sienicki

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Published November 24, 2020 by in Health News
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