A Link Between Lead Exposure and Cataracts? Health News Article | Reuters.com

Lead contamination in Drinking water is certainly serious. Now the research found that it will developing caataracts..

A Link Between Lead Exposure and Cataracts?
Tue Dec 7, 2004 04:09 PM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lifetime exposure to lead from paint in older houses, drinking water pipes and other sources appears to increase men's risk of cataract development, researchers reported on Tuesday.

"This research suggests that reduction of lead exposure throughout a man's lifetime should help reduce his chances of developing cataracts and of requiring cataract surgery," said Debra Schaumberg of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, lead author of the study.

"By preventing or delaying the onset of this condition, many instances of blindness worldwide could be prevented," she added.

Her study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, looked at data from 795 U.S. men age 60 and older for whom bone lead levels were measured between 1991 and 1999. The report did not speculate about whether the findings would also apply to women.

In the United States about 20 percent of those in their 60s develop cataracts. The problem accounts for more than 40 percent of all cases of blindness worldwide, the report said. Read More....
Health News Article | Reuters.com