Lead Exposure Linked to Faster Rate of Forgetting Among Children

Association seen for higher childhood lead exposure with faster rate of forgetting on the delayed matching-to-sample task

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Developmental lead (Pb) exposure is associated with an increased rate of forgetting among children, according to a study published online July 9 in Science Advances.

Katherine Svensson, Ph.D., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues examined the effect of prenatal and childhood Pb exposure on children’s rate of forgetting using a delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) task among children aged 6 to 8 years. Blood Pb was measured during pregnancy and at age 4 to 6 years. Using separate models for prenatal and childhood Pb, a nonlinear modified power function was used to predict the forgetting rates on the DMTS task.

The researchers observed an association for higher childhood Pb (median, 1.7 µg/dL) with a faster rate of forgetting (β = −0.05). Significant associations were seen for higher maternal IQ and child’s age with a slower rate of forgetting.

“From a public health perspective, the results highlight the importance of interventions to reduce children’s Pb exposure,” the authors write. “The reduction of environmental exposures to Pb, such as Pb-based paint in homes, Pb pipes, and Pb in foods such as spices, is still of continued importance as even low levels of Pb can have detrimental effects on children’s cognitive function and development.”