I see cognitive issues in children far too much in this field. Often, distraught parents are so at a loss for reasons why their otherwise healthy child is all of a sudden experiencing changes in temperament, response time and the like. If your child has cognitive issues, you need to be taking a critical view of their environment and specifically scrutinize the presence of any toxic heavy metals.

There are a litany of toxic heavy metals out there…watch your children!

Children like to explore their surroundings and will often put things they shouldn’t into their mouths, but even if your child isn’t doing this, the mere fact that they are around toxic metals day-in and day-out can be sufficient enough to cause serious health problems. For more information about heavy metal toxicity and the test that can confirm it and keep you informed of your child’s health, see my website where I discuss the process in greater detail.

For a long time soil contamination has been known to be a contributor to lead exposure in people and presently it is a health concern worldwide. Research now reveals that exposure to lead in topsoil can affect the cognitive ability of 5 year old boys in the United States but it does not affect 5 year old girls. This affect on boys even takes place in counties where lead in the soil is considered low.

This study used information on preschool-age children. They observed 5 year olds so they could see the effects of lead before they began formal school and also because age 5 is the age described by the US National Toxicology Program as having the most ingestion of lead from soil.

Other factors researchers looked into were climate, demographics, the economy and housing. Research also revealed that children who grow up in counties near new highways had more exposure to lead than children in counties that did not have part of the highway system.

The way higher lead in topsoil affected 5 year old boys was in cognitive problems like remembering, learning, making decisions and concentrating. And living in counties with a lot of lead in topsoil doubled the chance that these boys will have cognitive difficulties.

Girls are probably not affected because they are naturally protected by estrogen. This study shows new evidence of the damaging effects of lead on cognitive development and the need for more monitoring of soil in urban areas. The EPA should revise its standards for acceptable levels of lead in soil.