US scientists say they have found a link between exposure to lead in the womb and schizophrenia in adulthood writes the BBC News, UK edition, February 14, 2004.
The discovery is based on a study of blood samples taken from pregnant American women in the 1960s when lead was still widely used in vehicle fuel.
People whose mothers were exposed to high levels of the metal in exhaust fumes were more than twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as adults.
Dr Ezra Susser, from Columbia University in New York presented the work to the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington State.
"It’s the first time that any environmental toxin has been related to the later risk of schizophrenia," he told the BBC.
"It’s a preliminary finding, but an intriguing one. We think that people will now look at a variety of environmental toxins which can disrupt brain development, and see whether they are also related to the risk of schizophrenia."
The finding will provide further scientific weight for organisations campaigning to have leaded petrol phased out everywhere in the world.
Dr Susser and his colleague’s research is scheduled for publication in a forthcoming edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
