Lead in the womb can produce adult Schizophrenia

[donsu]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3489037.stm

The discovery is based on a study of blood samples taken from pregnant American women in the 1960s when lead was still widely used in vehicle fuel.

People whose mothers were exposed to high levels of the metal in exhaust fumes were more than twice as likely to develop schizophrenia as adults.

-snip-

"It's the first time that any environmental toxin has been related to the later risk of schizophrenia," he told the BBC.

"It's a preliminary finding, but an intriguing one. We think that people will now look at a variety of environmental toxins which can disrupt brain development, and see whether they are also related to the risk of schizophrenia."
-snip-
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tip of the iceberg

[Gman]

1. But schizophrenia is also hereditary

It may skip a generation, but it definitely is hereditary.

And no, you don't get it from your kids!

[Pillowbiter]

2. There are more causes for schizophrenia than we probably will ever know

Heredity is just one of them.

Almost anything that tends to damage the neurons in your body can cause schizophrenia. It is more the result of the affliction.

Lead happens to be a neurotoxin that can also be a carcinogen in large amounts. And the lead from exhaust in the 60's is still affecting us today, as the lead from that source is the greatest form of lead pollution in our soil.

PB

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. When I glanced at the title I read...

"Lead in the womb can produce adult Schwarzenegger"