Different People, Different Outcomes: Assessing Genetic Susceptibility to Lead Exposures

This study was not intended to gauge the level at which lead is toxic, and it did not reveal the mechanisms by which lead causes adverse effects. However, if these results are echoed in humans, they could help us understand why and how the effects from lead exposure are expressed differently in different people, says Schneider. “This kind of work shows how much we still have to learn about the potential effects that lead has on the body,” he says. “We know a lot, but there’s still a lot we don’t know.” References 1. ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Lead. CAS# 7439-92-1. Atlanta, GA:Division of Toxicology and Human Health Sciences, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (August 2007). Available: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp.asp?id=96&tid=22 [accessed 2 June 2016]. 2. Schneider JS, et al. Genetic diversity influences the response of the brain to developmental lead exposure. Toxicol Sci 141(1):29–43 (2014), doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfu101. 3. Whitfield JB, et al. Evidence of genetic effects on blood lead concentration. Environ Health Perspect 115(8):1224–1230 (2007), doi: 10.1289/ehp.8847. 4. Gundacker C, et al. The relevance of the individual genetic background for the toxicokinetics of two significant neurodevelopmental toxicants: mercury and lead. Mutat Res 705(2):130–140 (2010), doi: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2010.06.003. 5. Zhou S, et al. The genetic basis for variation in sensitivity to lead toxi...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Featured News Science Selection July 2016 Source Type: research