Lead and cigarette smoke contribute to one in three cases of attention deficit disorders, according to research published by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee this week.
Even levels of lead below the government standard of 10 milligrams per deciliter of blood may increase a child?s risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the study found.
That doesn?t necessarily mean older children should be tested, said pediatrician Dr. Charles Shubin, of Mercy Medical Center.
“Doing the lead test at the point he?s got ADHD in school is not helpful,” he said.
Crucial brain development that could be interrupted by lead poisoning happens in the first two years of life, Shubin said.
Baltimore City has a particular burden to bear because of the age of its housing stock.
“When you have so much old housing as we have here in Baltimore, it?s really hard to provide affordable housing that?s lead free,” Healthy Homes Director Madaline Shae said.
