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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Linda Geddes Science correspondent

Children exposed to lead may experience symptoms of dementia sooner – study

Parents and children with placards demonstrating against the amount of lead in petrol in 1983.
Parents and children with placards demonstrating against the amount of lead in petrol in 1983. Photograph: PA

Lead exposure during childhood may lead to reduced cognitive abilities in later life, meaning people experience symptoms of dementia sooner, data suggest.

The study, one of the first to investigate the decades-long consequences of lead poisoning, suggests countries could face an explosion of people seeking support for dementia as individuals who were exposed to high lead levels during early life progress into old age.

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