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# Mercury, lead exposure linked to ADHD
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/mercury_lead_adhd_1008120614/
- Published: 2012-10-08T19:14:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:12:42.000Z
- Description: Among 279 children averaging 11.3 years old, cord blood mercury levels went with higher teacher-rated scores for attention problems and disruptive behavior, and current blood lead levels with more externalizing and hyperactive-impulsive ADHD symptoms.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Environment, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu PHD

Monday Oct 8, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Prenatal exposure to methylmercury - aneurotoxin and lead exposure in childhood increase risk of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, according to a new study in Environmental Health Perspectives.

O. Boucher at Centre de Recherche du Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec in Québec, Québec, Canada. and colleagues conducted the study and found children who were born to women who had high prenatal serum mercury were more likely to suffer symptoms associated with ADHD.

The researchers also found high lead concentrations in the blood samples from children were associated with more or more severe ADHD symptoms, compared with those who had low lead concentration in their blood.

Boucher et al. said in their report prenatal exposure to methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been linked with attention disorders and lead exposure in childhood has also been associated with ADHD and disruptive behaviors in previous studies.

The current study was intended to examine the association between dietary exposure to mercury, PCBs, and lead to behavioral problems in children at school age.

For the study, the researchers tried to associate exposure to mercury, lead and PCBs, which were measured at birth and at school age in blood samples collected from 279 children with mean age of 11.3 years, with behavioral assessment scores for each child obtained from children's teachers.

As a result, cord blood mercury levels were found correlated with higher symptom scores for attention problems and disruptive behaviors disorders scores related to ADHD. Additionally, current blood lead levels were correlated with higher symptom scores for externalizing problems and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms of ADHD.

The researchers concluded "This study is the first to identify an association between prenatal MeHg (methylmercury) and ADHD symptomatology in childhood and the first to replicate previously reported associations between low-level childhood Pb exposure and ADHD in a population exposed to Pb (lead) primarily from dietary sources."