14 DAY TRIAL // A team of scientists in China claim to have uncovered evidence that exposure to lead while still in the womb can have a negative impact on the development of baby's brain.
Thus, these researchers say that coming into contact with this chemical element before birth can cause children to have a lower IQ, and poorer reflexes and skills than they would, had they not been exposed to lead while in the womb.
According to Environmental Health News, the fact that exposure to lead can translate into a reduce IQ, and poor reflexes and skills is no news. On the contrary, the scientific community has long been aware of this link.
However, the investigation carried out by scientists in China is the first to show that said chemical element can take its toll on the development of a child's brain not just after birth, but also long before delivery.
In fact, evidence indicates that, all things considered, unborn babies are at their most vulnerable when it comes to being affected by lead exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy, information made available to the public says.
The specialists in China now saying that lead exposure can affect children while they are still in the womb base their claim on information collected while keeping tabs on the overall wellbeing of 332 women and their offspring.
Of these women, some had lead levels as high as 6.49 micrograms per deciliter of blood, whereas others had levels of just 1.22 micrograms per deciliter. Interestingly enough, children belonging to the latter performed better when their reflexes and response to stimuli were tested.
Specifically, babies in the low-lead group scored an average of 39.3 in tests concerning their reflexes and their ability to identify and deal with stimuli. The ones in the high-lead group, on the other hand, had an average score of 38.8.
Although the babies were all normal, the scientists who carried out this investigation into how lead exposure can influence fetal development argue that, given their findings, it might not be such a bad idea for mothers-to-be to try and not come into contact with contaminated food or lead-based paint.
“These findings support the idea that the time to intervene to protect kids from the toxic effects of lead may be before pregnancy,” stresses Dr. Bruce Lanphear with the Simon Fraser University, who was not involved in this research project carried out by specialists in China.