A study by American and Russian scientists clearly demonstrates that the excessive presence of lead in the blood of young boys may delay puberty.
The study was published in the journal Pediatrics and was conducted at Harvard, the Russian Academy of Sciences, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts, Chapaevsk Medical Association and the State Medical University in Samara.
The researchers tracked 489 Russian boys between eight and nine years old who lived in Chapaevsk, Russia, between 2003 and 2005. Until May 2008, they measured the levels of lead in their blood, taking into account the size of the testes and the presence of pubic hair.
Boys with a high level of lead in their blood were 24% to 31% less likely to start puberty during the time of the study. The presence of lead therefore meant a delay in puberty.
The main culprit is the environment around where children grow up, including the use of lead paint that experts strongly suggest to avoid.