Tobacco & lead tied to ADHD

[Dr Mordrid]

Not really suprised at all....

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=1030026FQ3EG

Study: ADHD Cases Linked to Lead and Smoking

By Lindsey Tanner
September 19, 2006 8:36AM

"The findings of this study underscore the profound behavioral health impact of these prevalent exposures, and highlight the need to strengthen public health efforts to reduce prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and childhood lead exposure," said the authors, led by researcher Joe Braun of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

About one-third of attention deficit cases among U.S. children may be linked with tobacco smoke before birth or to lead exposure afterward, according to provocative new research.

Even levels of lead the government considers acceptable appeared to increase a child's risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the study found.

It builds on previous research linking attention problems, including ADHD, with childhood lead exposure and smoking during pregnancy, and offers one of the first estimates for how much those environmental factors might contribute.
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[Gurm]

Now the big question - is this study, like 99% of studies before it, basing its secondhand-smoke data on the original flawed study?

Edit: Not saying it's good, and I believe the lead thing 100%...

[Jessterw]

Obviously a single case doesn't prove anything, but my brother-in-law's wife (can't bear calling her my sister-in-law *shudder*) smoked through at least three of her four pregnancies and the two boys definitely have what could be called ADHD. The eldest girl has her own issues as well and the youngest (a few months younger than our youngest) is, well, too young to tell just yet.

Then again, she is bi-polar so there's not telling.

[Fluff]

Is it possible to develop ADHD later in life as a result of smoking? The lead in cigarette smoke does that decline if you stop smoking or stay inside you forever?

[Nowhere]

IMHO, however big the effects really are (and personally I think they are significant) shielding children at all stages of their growth from substances that are "alien" (weren't present in enviroment for most of human evolution) is simply the responsible thing to do.

Also I seem to remember some recent research that found correlation between health of children and whether or not father was smoking at the time of conception. While it needs to be confirmed...I don't see any particular reason why smoking can't influence how "good" the genetical material of sperm is...and actually for some time I seem to abandon smoking at times when there's a chance I'll concept a child. Of course the other reason might be that the ones with whom that could happen turn out to not smoke... (but I could be hiding it after all...)

PS. And since there are examples already...my aunt was heavy smoker during all 3 pregnancies (or so I was told...anyway, she still smokes). All her children are of small height and posture, were looking few years "younger" for a long time (in the sense of development, mostly secondary sexual characteristics) and always had problems in school; perhaps one or two with something that could be described by slight typical symptoms of ADHD, but I can't really tell, there's no "ADHD craze" here (luckily). Even if there's no ADHD link...all other things are enough IMHO.