According to a study of almost 800 participants, there is likely a link between accumulated lead exposure and the development of cataracts, which require eye surgery later down the road. While we don't live in the golden years of swimming through lead-based paints and lining our hats with mercury, that doesn't mean that worrying about the poisons is in the past. Utah might have made attempts to drastically decrease the risk of lead poisoning in the state, but many other parts of the world have not. That means that they may have another reason to worry about the clouding of their eyes.
An article written on newsfix details the study. Researchers conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and decided to examine the amount of bone lead levels in patients' in relation with the increased risk for needed eye surgery due to cataract development. The Normative Aging Study as it was called took measurements focusing on the tibia and patella parts of the leg for their samples. The study found that a Utah individual with a high level of lead in the tibia was at three times more of a risk of developing cataracts and needing eye surgery than those Utah individuals with the lowest amounts. In other words, if you're tibia, or shinbone, is weighed down by plenty of lead exposure, you're eyes are more likely to cloud as you age.
The patella, or kneecap measurement, however, showed a slightly different result. For these higher bones, those found with the highest levels of lead were only twice as likely to need eye surgery for cataracts as those with the lowest levels. A difference which could be possibly due to reduced exposure of the area to lead, or other outside factors, like Utah running traits or weather. Studies like this, despite researcher's attempts to avoid and control other possible factors, are notorious for not creating solid facts. Rather, they can show some correlation between two statistics, which may or may not be linked by a causal effect.
Nevertheless, the researchers are moving forward with their results, and suggesting that the possible link and cataracts could be used to further reduce the burden on the global medical system. Utah might not quite treat this as revelation, but more undeveloped areas of the worlds in particular may be being negatively affected in this way due to their lack of concern/knowledge about lead poisoning. There are of course other problems than eye surgery to worry about, but this just adds one more reason why lead poisoning is absolutely nothing to treat lightly.
An article written on newsfix details the study. Researchers conducted at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and decided to examine the amount of bone lead levels in patients' in relation with the increased risk for needed eye surgery due to cataract development. The Normative Aging Study as it was called took measurements focusing on the tibia and patella parts of the leg for their samples. The study found that a Utah individual with a high level of lead in the tibia was at three times more of a risk of developing cataracts and needing eye surgery than those Utah individuals with the lowest amounts. In other words, if you're tibia, or shinbone, is weighed down by plenty of lead exposure, you're eyes are more likely to cloud as you age.
The patella, or kneecap measurement, however, showed a slightly different result. For these higher bones, those found with the highest levels of lead were only twice as likely to need eye surgery for cataracts as those with the lowest levels. A difference which could be possibly due to reduced exposure of the area to lead, or other outside factors, like Utah running traits or weather. Studies like this, despite researcher's attempts to avoid and control other possible factors, are notorious for not creating solid facts. Rather, they can show some correlation between two statistics, which may or may not be linked by a causal effect.
Nevertheless, the researchers are moving forward with their results, and suggesting that the possible link and cataracts could be used to further reduce the burden on the global medical system. Utah might not quite treat this as revelation, but more undeveloped areas of the worlds in particular may be being negatively affected in this way due to their lack of concern/knowledge about lead poisoning. There are of course other problems than eye surgery to worry about, but this just adds one more reason why lead poisoning is absolutely nothing to treat lightly.
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