The study, published in 1979, found that children "who had high lead in their teeth, but who had never been identified as having any problems with lead, had lower IQ scores, poorer language function, and poorer attention," Needleman explained years later in a Bill Moyers documentary that aired on PBS.
The findings were controversial. Critics, including companies that made lead products, said these things could be caused by other factors — like family life and education.
But the federal government had already started phasing lead out of gasoline, and in the 1980s, thanks in part to Needleman's research, it sped that up. Then it put out a plan to eliminate lead poisoning for good.
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