Leaded Gasoline Tied to Uptick in Mental Health Disorders, and a Mysterious Outbreak Occurs in the DRC
A mysterious outbreak occurs in the Democratic of the Congo, and researchers find evidence that exposure to leaded gasoline was linked to increases in mental illness. Plus, we discuss orcas wearing salmon as hats.
Anaissa Ruiz Tejada/Scientific American
Happy Monday, listeners! For Scientific American’s Science Quickly, I’m Rachel Feltman. Let’s take a few minutes to catch up on some science stories you might have missed.
Last week health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported that an unidentified disease with flu-like symptoms had killed dozens of people in November. Last Tuesday a spokesperson for the World Health Organization said the agency had been made aware of the outbreak and was working with local public health investigators to learn more.
As we’ve discussed in previous episodes the DRC is already dealing with a serious epidemiological problem: the country is considered the epicenter of the current global mpox outbreak and accounts for 99 percent of related deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. SciAm editors are keeping a close eye on this as-yet-unidentified new outbreak, so we’ll share more information as soon as we have it.
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In other public health news a new study looking back at the impact of leaded gasoline came to some troubling conclusions.
Before we get into the details here’s a little background on what lead can do to us. Lead is a toxic heavy metal that can build up in the body and impact the development of a child’s brain. Researchers have previously shown that the use of lead in gasoline, which was widespread in the U.S. starting in the 1920s before finally being banned in 1996, likely impacted many Americans. One 2022 study estimated that half the Americans alive at the time were exposed to harmful levels of lead during their childhoods, with millions exposed to five times the recommended level or more.
In the new study, published last Wednesday, the same researchers estimate that lead exposure could be responsible for some 151…
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