A new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, has found a correlation between lead exposure early in life to sleep problems in later childhood. Sleep deprivation can lead to poor academic performance as well as behavioral and health problems.
Earlier studies have shown that lead exposure is directly related to lower academic test scores, behavioral problems, and neurological problems.
While the new University of Pennsylvania study deals with lead levels of children in China, this research is this of particular concern to African Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black, low-income children who live in housing built before 1950 have the highest lead poisoning risk. In fact, Black children are 1.6 times more likely to test positive for lead in their blood than White children. And Black children were nearly three times more likely than White children to have very high lead levels in their blood.
