Effects of Toxic Heavy Metals on Cognition Vary Depending on Stage of Brain Development, Study Suggests
A recent study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology suggests that lead, cadmium, and mercury have varying negative effects on human brain development and cognition.
Contaminated water and food are the main sources of lead, cadmium, and mercury in the human body. The metals are well known to affect brain development and cognition with long-term, low-level exposure, but the present study sought to define the differences among their neurotoxic effects at different stages of brain development.