Lead Linked to Aging in Older Brains

By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer, Medicine & Health / Health

Andrew Todd, PhD, who works in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, examines results from the bone lead measurement system on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007. The system measures lifetime exposure to lead, which could, in part, account for decreased cognitive function among senior citizens. (AP Photo/John Smock)

(AP) -- Could it be that the "natural" mental decline that afflicts many older people is related to how much lead they absorbed decades before? That's the provocative idea emerging from some recent studies, part of a broader area of new research that suggests some pollutants can cause harm that shows up only years after someone is exposed.

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