A study published in 2008 found a link between early childhood lead exposure and Alzheimer's disease. The researchers studied the brains of 23 year old monkeys who had been exposed to lead resulting in blood lead levels between 19 and 26 µg/dL for the first 400 days of their lives. They found plaque build up associated with Alzheimer's. Several studies with rodents have had similar findings. The authors of the study stresses that lead exposure will not necessarily lead to Alzheimer's, but it does appear to be a risk factor as smoking is a risk factor for cancer.
This study is pretty scary to me. It really shows the lifetime impact of lead. How many people are suffering from this and have no idea what caused it.
Resources:
http://www.jneurosci.org/content/28/1/3.abstract
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