Podcasts about Lead poisoning

This time on Code WACK!  Imagine discovering that your infant child—your nine-month-old baby—has lead poisoning – a toxin banned from paint and phased out of gasoline decades ago. So why do thousands of children each year have dangerously high levels of lead in their system? We spoke with New York mom, nurse, and advocate Shannon Burkett, whose son Cooper developed lead poisoning that stole his words, halted his development, and nearly cost him his life. Shannon is also the writer, producer, and editor of the podcast LEAD: How This Story Ends Is Up to Us, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2025, starring Merritt Wever and Cynthia Nixon. She's a registered nurse, a mother of three, and a fierce voice in the fight to end lead poisoning. This is the first of a two-part series with Shannon Burkett. Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more! And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.  

In this episode of Beyond the Wild Podcast, Ben Masters discusses the making of his wildlife documentary The American Southwest, and the intricate techniques used in wildlife cinematography. He shares insights into the recovery of the California condor and the importance of conservation efforts, while also highlighting the challenges faced by communities and ecosystems in the wake of environmental changes. The crew discusses various aspects of wildlife conservation, the importance of public lands, and the role of storytelling in wildlife films. They highlight the successes and challenges in conservation and the future of the Colorado River. The discussion also touches on the impact of film in raising awareness and connecting audiences to environmental issues.Chapters00:00 The Impact of Floods on Communities05:59 Exploring the American Southwest Project11:50 Wildlife Cinematography Techniques18:10 The Stories Behind the Species24:05 Technical Aspects of Filmmaking30:02 Post-Production Workflow and Storage Solutions36:45 The Cost of Quality Gear39:08 The Evolution of Cinematography Lenses42:05 California Condor Conservation Success48:12 Filming the California Condor52:08 Lead Poisoning and Its Impact on Condors55:54 Public Lands and Conservation Awareness01:00:02 Cinematic Highlights and Storytelling Techniques01:08:42 The Magic of Filmmaking with Wildlife01:10:01 Conservation and the Return of Jaguars01:11:47 The Impact of Water Management on Ecosystems01:12:30 The Emotional Weight of Environmental Change01:15:49 The Future of River Management01:16:01 Narration and Storytelling in Wildlife Films01:18:56 The Journey of a Wildlife Film01:19:54 The Release of 'The American Southwest'01:21:29 Connecting Audiences with Nature01:23:38 The Importance of Conservation Organizations01:30:00 Acknowledging the Team Behind the FilmLinksFilm Tickets and Locationswww.theamericansouthwest.filmInstagram@finandfurfilms@bencmastersFilm Partnerswww.theamericansouthwest.film/partnersThanks for tuning in to the Beyond the Wild Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to stay notified about upcoming episodes for your listening and viewing pleasure! Beyond the Wild Podcast is sponsored by Pictureline.com and Canon USA.

In this episode of "Past Deadline," Podcast Editor Christian Valk sits down with Managing Editor Blace Carpenter to discuss a former CMU instructor's claim that the university's rifle range gave him lead poisoning. The full story is featured in the August print edition.Editors Note: This episode of past deadline was recorded on August 13, 2025. Central Michigan University provided Central Michigan Life with the following statement on Aug. 15."CMU is aware of the claims by Mr. Brewer, which related to his experiences approximately 30 years ago," CMU's spokesperson wrote in an email. "The matter was addressed in the Michigan Court of Claims and there was no judgment or findings against CMU. The case was dismissed by the Court of Claims, and the dismissal was affirmed by the Court of Appeals. "The indoor rifle range is still in use by CMU's Military Science and ROTC programs. CMU Environmental Health and Safety works with the Military Science program to monitor lead levels and to provide cleaning for the range."

This is a hybrid heart disease risk factor post of a podcast with Prof Bruce Lanphear on lead and a piece I was asked to write for the Washington Post on risk factors for heart disease.First, the podcast. You may have thought the problem with lead exposure was circumscribed to children, but it's a much bigger issue than that. I'll concentrate on the exposure risk to adults in this interview, including the lead-estrogen hypothesis. Bruce has been working on the subject of lead exposure for more than 30 years. Let me emphasize that the problem is not going away, as highlighted in a recent New England Journal of Medicine piece on lead contamination in Milwaukee schools, “The Latest Episode in an Ongoing Toxic Pandemic.”Transcript with links to the audio and citationsEric Topol (00:05):Well, hello. This is Eric Topol with Ground Truths, and I'm very delighted to welcome Professor Bruce Lanphear from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia for a very interesting topic, and that's about lead exposure. We tend to think about lead poisoning with the Flint, Michigan, but there's a lot more to this story. So welcome, Bruce.Bruce Lanphear (00:32):Thank you, Eric. It's great to be here.Eric Topol (00:33):Yeah. So you had a New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Review in October last year, which was probably a wake up to me, and I'm sure to many others. We'll link to that, where you reviewed the whole topic, the title is called Lead Poisoning. But of course it's not just about a big dose, but rather chronic exposure. So maybe you could give us a bit of an overview of that review that you wrote for NEJM.Bruce Lanphear (01:05):Yeah, so we really focused on the things where we feel like there's a definitive link. Things like lead and diminished IQ in children, lead and coronary heart disease, lead and chronic renal disease. As you mentioned, we've typically thought of lead as sort of the overt lead poisoning where somebody becomes acutely ill. But over the past century what we've learned is that lead is one of those toxic chemicals where it's the chronic wear and tear on our bodies that catches up and it's at the root of many of these chronic diseases that are causing problems today.Eric Topol (01:43):Yeah, it's pretty striking. The one that grabbed me and kind of almost fell out of my chair was that in 2019 when I guess the most recent data there is 5.5 million cardiovascular deaths ascribed to relatively low levels, or I guess there is no safe level of lead exposure, that's really striking. That's a lot of people dying from something that cardiology and medical community is not really aware of. And there's a figure 3 [BELOW] that we will also show in the transcript, where you show the level where you start to see a takeoff. It starts very low and by 50 μg/liter, you're seeing a twofold risk and there's no threshold, it keeps going up. How many of us do you think are exposed to that type of level as adults, Bruce?Bruce Lanphear (02:39):Well, as adults, if we go back in time, all of us. If you go back to the 1970s when lead was still in gasoline, the median blood lead level of Americans was about 13 to 15 µg/dL. So we've all been exposed historically to those levels, and part of the reason we've begun to see a striking decline in coronary heart disease, which peaked in 1968. And by 1978, there was a 20% decline, 190,000 more people were alive than expected. So even in that first decade, there was this striking decline in coronary heart disease. And so, in addition to the prospective studies that have found this link between an increase in lead exposure and death from cardiovascular disease and more specifically coronary heart disease. We can look back in time and see how the decline in leaded gasoline led to a decline in heart disease and hypertension.Eric Topol (03:41):Yeah, but it looks like it's still a problem. And you have a phenomenal graph that's encouraging, where you see this 95% reduction in the lead exposure from the 1970s. And as you said, the factors that can be ascribed to like getting rid of lead from gasoline and others. But what is troubling is that we still have a lot of people that this could be a problem. Now, one of the things that was fascinating is that you get into that herbal supplements could be a risk factor. That we don't do screening, of course, should we do screening? And there's certain people that particularly that you consider at high risk that should get screened. So I wasn't aware, I mean the one type of supplements that you zoomed in on, how do you say it? Ayurvedic?Supplements With LeadBruce Lanphear (04:39):Oh yeah. So this is Ayurvedic medicine and in fact, I just was on a Zoom call three weeks ago with a husband and wife who live in India. The young woman had taken Ayurvedic medicine and because of that, her blood lead levels increased to 70 µg/dL, and several months later she was pregnant, and she was trying to figure out what to do with this. Ayurvedic medicine is not well regulated. And so, that's one of the most important sources when we think about India, for example. And I think you pointed out a really important thing is number one, we don't know that there's any safe level even though blood lead levels in the United States and Europe, for example, have come down by over 95%. The levels that we're exposed to and especially the levels in our bones are 10 to 100 times higher than our pre-industrial ancestors.Bruce Lanphear (05:36):So we haven't yet reached those levels that our ancestors were exposed to. Are there effects at even lower and lower levels? Everything would suggest, we should assume that there is, but we don't know down below, let's say one microgram per deciliter or that's the equivalent of 10 parts per billion of lead and blood. What we also know though is when leaded gasoline was restricted in the United States and Canada and elsewhere, the companies turned to the industrializing countries and started to market it there. And so, we saw first the epidemic of coronary heart disease in the United States, Canada, Europe. Then that's come down over the past 50 years. At the same time, it was rising in low to middle income countries. So today over 95% of the burden of disease from lead including heart disease is found in industrializing countries.Eric Topol (06:34):Right. Now, it's pretty striking, of course. Is it true that airlines fuel is still with lead today?Bruce Lanphear (06:45):Well, not commercial airlines. It's going to be a small single piston aircraft. So for example, when we did a study down around the Santa Clara County Airport, Reid-Hillview, and we can see that the children who live within a half mile of the airport had blood lead levels about 10% higher than children that live further away. And the children who live downwind, 25% higher still. Now, nobody's mapped out the health effects, but one of the things that's particularly troubling about emissions from small aircraft is that the particle size of lead is extraordinarily small, and we know how nanoparticles because they have larger surface area can be more problematic. They also can probably go straight up into the brain or across the pulmonary tissues, and so those small particles we should be particularly worried about. But it's been such a long journey to try to figure out how to get that out of aircraft. It's a problem. The EPA recognized it. They said it's an endangerment, but the industry is still pushing back.Eric Topol (07:55):Yeah, I mean, it's interesting that we still have these problems, and I am going to in a minute ask you what we can do to just eradicate lead as much as possible, but we're not there yet. But one study that seemed to be hard to believe that you cited in the review. A year after a ban leaded fuel in NASCAR races, mortality from coronary heart disease declined significantly in communities near racetracks. Can you talk about that one because it's a little bit like the one you just mentioned with the airports?Bruce Lanphear (08:30):Yeah. Now that study particularly, this was by Alex Hollingsworth, was particularly looking at people over 65. And we're working on a follow-up study that will look at people below 65, but it was quite striking. When NASCAR took lead out of their fuel, he compared the rates of coronary heart disease of people that live nearby compared to a control group populations that live further away. And he did see a pretty striking reduction. One of the things we also want to look at in our follow-up is how quickly does that risk begin to taper off? That's going to be really important in terms of trying to develop a strategy around preventing lead poisoning. How quickly do we expect to see it fall? I think it's probably going to be within 12 to 24 months that we'll see benefits.Eric Topol (09:20):That's interesting because as you show in a really nice graphic in adults, which are the people who would be listening to this podcast. Of course, they ought to be concerned too about children and all and reproductive health. But the point about the skeleton, 95% of the lead is there and the main organs, which we haven't mentioned the kidney and the kidney injury that occurs no less the cardiovascular, the blood pressure elevation. So these are really, and you mentioned not necessarily highlighted in that graphic, but potential cognitive hit as well. You also wrote about how people who have symptoms of abdominal pain, memory impairment, and high blood pressure that's unexplained, maybe they should get a blood level screening. I assume those are easy to get, right?Bruce Lanphear (10:17):Oh yeah, absolutely. You can get those in any hospital, any clinic across the country. We're still struggling with having those available where it's most needed in the industrializing countries, but certainly available here. Now, we don't expect that for most people who have those symptoms, lead poisoning is going to be the cause, right. It'd still be unusual unless you work in an industry, for example, smelting batteries to recycle them. We don't expect it to be real common, and we're not even sure, Eric, whether we should be doing widespread screening. If I looked at this as a population scientist, the real focus should be on identifying the sources. We mostly know where those are here and radically moving it down. Getting rid of the lead service lines, which was such a big part of what President Biden was doing, and it was perfect. For every dollar invested to reduce lead exposure from those lead service lines. Ronnie Levin at Harvard said there'd be a 35-fold return in cost, benefits really, and this has always been true, that reducing lead exposure throughout the past 40 years has always been shown to be amazingly cost beneficial. The problem is operating within a free market health system, even though there's tremendous social benefits, that benefit isn't going to be monetized or privatized. And so, who's going to make those decisions? We hope our government is, but that doesn't always play out.Eric Topol (11:52):Well. What's interesting is, as opposed to the problems we have today that are prominent such as the microplastic, nanoplastics, the air pollution, the forever chemicals, that just keep getting worse, I mean, they are just cumulative. This one, there was tremendous improvement, but it's still not enough. And I guess you're zooming in on the lead lines. That'd be the most important thing to work on today. Another thing that has come up, there's been trials, as you may I'm sure, because all over this field of chelation, there's a trial that was run by the NIH, supported by NH that looked at chelation to prevent coronary disease. Is there any evidence that people who have a problem with lead would benefit from chelation therapy?Bruce Lanphear (12:44):Well, there's two major studies that have been done, and Tony Lamas was in charge of both of them. The first one Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) study, it was a randomized controlled trial, not intended specifically to focus on lead, but rather it was to look at sort of this alternative therapy. They found significant benefits about an 18% reduction in subsequent cardiac events. That led to a second study that was just published last year, and it was focused on people who had diabetes. They saw some benefit, but it wasn't significant. So whether that's because there wasn't enough variability and exposure, it's not entirely clear, but we've seen this with lead in IQ deficits in kids where we can show that we can reduce blood lead levels. But ultimately what tends to happen is once you've taken lead out of the blood, some of it's released again from the bone, but you still have all that lead in the bone that's there. You get some of it out, but you're not going to get the bulk of it out.The Lead-Estrogen HypothesisEric Topol (13:47):Right. It's a reservoir that's hard to reckon with. Yeah. Now another thing, you have a Substack that is called Plagues, Pollution & Poverty, and you wrote a really provocative piece in that earlier and April called How Estrogen Keeps Lead - and Heart Attacks - in Check, and basically you got into the lead estrogen hypothesis.Eric Topol (14:10):Can you enlighten us about that?Bruce Lanphear (14:12):Yeah. A lot of the seminal work in this area was done by Ellen Silbergeld, who's a brilliant and somewhat peculiar toxicologist and Ellen for years, I focused on childhood lead exposure, and for years Ellen would tell me, almost demolish me for not studying adults. And because she had found back in 1988 that as women go into menopause, their blood lead levels spike increased by about 30%, and that's where most of our lead is stored is in our bone. And so, as I was thinking about this, it all became clear because blood lead levels in boys and girls is about the same. It's comparable up until menarche, and then girls young women's blood leads fall by about 20%. And they stay 20% lower throughout the reproductive years until menopause. And especially during those first few years around menopause, perimenopause, you see fairly striking increases in the weakening of the bone and blood lead levels.Bruce Lanphear (15:19):So that might very well help to explain why estrogen is protected, because what happens is throughout the reproductive life, women are losing a little bit of lead every month. And estrogen is at its lowest during that time, and that's going to be when blood lead is at its highest because estrogen pushes lead into the bone. Not only that, women lose lead into the developing fetus when they're pregnant. So what Ellen found is that there was less of a spike around menopause for the women that had three or four pregnancies because they had offloaded that into their babies. So all of this, if you put it together, and this is of course in a very short note of it, you can see that lead increases dyslipidemia, it leads to tears in the endothelium of the arterial wall, it's going to increase thrombosis. All of these things that we think of as the classic atherosclerosis. Well, what estrogen does is the opposite of those. It decreases dyslipidemia, it repairs the arterial endothelial wall. So how much of it is that estrogen is protective, and how much is it that it's moving lead out of the system, making it less biologically available?Eric Topol (16:46):Yeah, I know. It's really interesting. Quite provocative. Should be followed up on, for sure. Just getting to you, you're a physician and epidemiologist, MD MPH, and you have spent your career on this sort of thing, right? I mean, is your middle name lead or what do you work on all the time?Bruce Lanphear (17:09):Yeah, I've been doing this for about 30 years, and one of my mentors, Herb Needleman spent 40 years of his career on it. And in some ways, Eric, it seems to me particularly in these very difficult entrenched problems like lead, we don't have any pharmaceutical company reaching out to us to promote what we do. We've got industry trying to squash what we do.Bruce Lanphear (17:35):It really does take a career to really make a dent in this stuff. And in a way, you can look at my trajectory and it is really following up on what Herb Needleman did and what Clare Patterson did, and that was finding the effects at lower and lower levels. Because what we do with lead and most other toxic chemicals, the ones that don't cause cancer, is we assume that there's a safe level or threshold until we prove otherwise. And yet when you look at the evidence, whether it's about asbestos and mesothelioma, air pollution and cardiovascular mortality, lead and cardiovascular mortality, benzene and leukemia, none of those exhibit a threshold. In some cases, the risks are steepest proportionately at the lowest measurable levels, and that really raises some tremendous challenges, right? Because how are we going to bring air pollution or lead down to zero? But at the same time, it also provides these tremendous opportunities because we know that they're causing disease. We know what the sources are. If we could only bring about the political will to address them, we could prevent a lot of death, disease, and disability. I mean, about 20% of deaths around the world every year are from air pollution, lead, and other toxic chemicals, and yet the amount of money we invest in them is just paltry compared to what we invest in other things. Which is not to pit one against the other, but it's to say we haven't invested enough in these.Eric Topol (19:14):No, absolutely. I think your point, just to make sure that it's clear, is that even at low levels, this is of course where most of the population exposure would be, and that's why that's so incriminating. Now, one of the things I just want to end up with is that we know that these are tiny, tiny particles of lead, and then the question is how they can synergize and find particulate matter of air pollution in the nanoplastic, microplastic story and binding to forever chemicals, PFAS. How do you process all that? Because it's not just a single hit here, it's also the fact that there's ability to have binding to the other environmental toxins that are not going away.Bruce Lanphear (20:10):That's right. And in a way, when we talk about lead playing this tremendous role in the rise and decline of coronary heart disease, we can't entirely separate it out, for example, from air pollution or cigarette smoke for that matter, nor plastic. So for example, with air pollution, if we look at air pollution over the past century, up until the 1980s, even into the 1990s, it was leaded, right? So you couldn't separate them. If you look at cigarette smoke, cigarette tobacco in the 1940s and 1950s was grown in fields where they used lead arsenic as an insecticide. So smokers even today have blood lead levels that are 20% higher than non-smokers, and people who are not smokers but exposed to secondhand smoke have blood lead levels 20% higher than non-smokers who aren't exposed to secondhand smoke. So in a way, we should try to tease apart these differences, but it's going to be really challenging. In a way we can almost think about them as a spectrum of exposures. Now with plastics, you can really think of plastics as a form of pollution because it's not just one thing. There's all these additives, whether it's the PFAS chemicals or lead, which is used as a stabilizer. And so, all of them really are kind of integrated into each other, which again, maybe there's some opportunity there if we really were ready to tackle.Eric Topol (21:40):And interestingly, just yesterday, it was announced by the current administration that they're stopping all the prior efforts on the forever chemicals that were initiated in the water supply. And I mean, if there's one takeaway from our discussion, it's that we have to get all over this and we're not paying enough attention to our environmental exposures. You've really highlighted spotlighted the lead story. And obviously there are others that are, instead of getting somewhat better, they're actually going in the opposite direction. And they're all tied together that's what is so striking here, and they all do many bad things to our bodies. So I don't know how, I'm obviously really interested in promoting healthy aging, and unless we get on this, we're chasing our tails, right?Bruce Lanphear (22:31):Well, I think that's right, Eric. And I was reading the tips that you'd written about in preparation for your book release, and you focused understandably on what each of us can do, how we can modify our own lifestyles. We almost need six tips about what our government should do in order to make it harder for us to become sick, or to encourage those healthy behaviors that you talked about. That's a big part of it as well. One of the things we're celebrating the hundredth anniversary. This is not really something to celebrate, but we are. The hundredth anniversary of the addition of tetraethyl lead to gasoline. And one of the key things about that addition, there was this debate because when it was being manufactured, 80% of the workers at a plant in New Jersey suffered from severe lead poisoning, and five died, and it was enough that New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey banned tetraethyl lead.Bruce Lanphear (23:31):Then there was this convening by the US Surgeon General to determine whether it was safe to add tetraethyl lead to gasoline. One scientist, Yandell Henderson said, absolutely not. You're going to create a scourge worse than tuberculosis with slow lead poisoning and hardening of your arteries. Robert Kehoe, who represented the industry said, we know lead is toxic, but until you've shown that it's toxic when added to gasoline, you have no right to prohibit us from using it. So that is now known as the Kehoe rule, and it's relevant not only for lead, but for PFAS, for air pollution, for all these other things, because what it set as a precedent, until you've shown that these chemicals or pollution is toxic when used in commerce, you have no right to prohibit industry from using it. And that's the fix we're in.Eric Topol (24:27):Well, it sounds too much like the tobacco story and so many other things that were missed opportunities to promote public health. Now, is Canada doing any better than us on this stuff?Bruce Lanphear (24:40):In some ways, but not in others. And one of the interesting thing is we don't have standards, we have guidelines. And amazingly, the cities generally try to conform to those guidance levels. With water lead, we're down to five parts per billion. The US is sticking around with ten parts per billion, but it's not even really very, it's not enforced very well. So we are doing better in some ways, not so good in other ways. The European Union, generally speaking, is doing much better than North America.Eric Topol (25:15):Yeah, well, it doesn't look very encouraging at the moment, but hopefully someday we'll get there. Bruce, this has been a really fascinating discussion. I think we all should be thankful to you for dedicating your career to a topic that a lot of us are not up on, and you hopefully are getting us all into a state of awareness. And congratulations on that review, which was masterful and keep up the great work. Thank you.Bruce Lanphear (25:42):Thank you, Eric. I appreciate it.________________________________________________My Recommendations for Preventing Heart Disease (Markedly Truncated from Text and Graphics Provided in SUPER AGERS)Recently the Washington Post asked me for a listicle of 10 ways to prevent heart disease. I generally avoid making such lists but many people have de-subscribed to this newspaper, never subscribed, or missed the post, so here it is with links to citations:Guest column by Eric Topol, MDThe buildup of cholesterol and other substances in the wall of our arteries, known as atherosclerosis, is common. It can lead to severe plaques that narrow the artery and limit blood flow, or to a crack in the artery wall that can trigger blood clot formation, resulting in a heart attack.While we've seen some major advances in treating heart disease, it remains the leading killer in the United States, even though about 80 percent of cases are considered preventable. There are evidence-based steps you can take to stave it off. As a cardiologist, here's what I recommend to my patients.1. Do both aerobic and resistance exerciseThis is considered the single most effective medical intervention to protect against atherosclerosis and promote healthy aging. Physical activity lowers inflammation in the body. Evidence has shown that both aerobic and strength training forms of exercise are important. But only 1 in 4 Americans meet the two activity guidelines from the American Heart Association: aerobic exercise of 150 minutes per week of at least moderate physical activity, such as walking, bicycling on level ground, dancing or gardening, and strength training for at least two sessions per week, which typically translates to 60 minutes weekly.The protective benefit of exercise is seen with even relatively low levels of activity, such as around 2,500 steps per day (via sustained physical activity, not starting and stopping), and generally increases proportionately with more activity. It used to be thought that people who exercise only on the weekend — known as “weekend warriors” — put themselves in danger, but recent data shows the benefits of exercise can be derived from weekend-only workouts, too.2. Follow an anti-inflammatory dietA predominantly plant-based diet — high in fiber and rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, as seen with the Mediterranean diet — has considerable evidence from large-scale observational and randomized trials for reducing body-wide inflammation and improving cardiovascular outcomes.Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, also form part of a diet that suppresses inflammation. On the other hand, red meat and ultra-processed foods are pro-inflammatory, and you should limit your consumption. High protein intake of more than 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day — around 95 grams for someone who is 150 pounds — has also been linked to promoting inflammation and to atherosclerosis in experimental models. That is particularly related to animal-based proteins and the role of leucine, an essential amino acid that is obtained only by diet.3. Maintain a healthy weightBeing overweight or obese indicates an excess of white adipose tissue. This kind of tissue can increase the risk of heart disease because it stores fat cells, known as adipocytes, which release substances that contribute to inflammation.In studies, we've seen that glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) drugs can reduce inflammation with weight loss, and a significant reduction of heart attacks and strokes among high-risk patients treated for obesity. Lean body weight also helps protect against atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm abnormality.4. Know and avoid metabolic syndrome and prediabetesTied into obesity, in part, is the problem of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Two out of three people with obesity have this syndrome, which is defined as having three out of five features: high fasting blood glucose, high fasting triglycerides, high blood pressure, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and central adiposity (waist circumference of more than 40 inches in men, 35 inches in women).Metabolic syndrome is also present in a high proportion of people without obesity, about 50 million Americans. Prediabetes often overlaps with it. Prediabetes is defined as a hemoglobin A1c (a measure of how much glucose is stuck to your red blood cells) between 5.7 and 6.4 percent, or a fasting glucose between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter.Both metabolic syndrome and prediabetes carry an increased risk of heart disease and can be prevented — and countered — by weight loss, exercise and an optimal diet.As the glucagon-like peptide drug family moves to pills and less expense in the future, these medications may prove helpful for reducing risk in people with metabolic syndrome and prediabetes. For those with Type 2 diabetes, the goal is optimizing glucose management and maximal attention to lifestyle factors.5. Keep your blood pressure in a healthy rangeHypertension is an important risk factor for heart disease and is exceptionally common as we age. The optimal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg or lower. But with aging, there is often an elevation of systolic blood pressure to about 130 mm Hg, related to stiffening of arteries. While common, it is still considered elevated.Ideally, everyone should monitor their blood pressure with a home device to make sure they haven't developed hypertension. A mild abnormality of blood pressure will typically improve with lifestyle changes, but more substantial elevations will probably require medications.6. Find out your genetic riskWe now have the means of determining your genetic risk of coronary artery disease with what is known as a polygenic risk score, derived from a gene chip. The term polygenic refers to hundreds of DNA variants in the genome that are linked to risk of heart disease. This is very different from a family history, because we're a product of both our mother's and father's genomes, and the way the DNA variants come together in each of us can vary considerably for combinations of variants.That means you could have high or low risk for heart disease that is different from your familial pattern. People with a high polygenic risk score benefit the most from medications to lower cholesterol, such as statins. A polygenic risk score can be obtained from a number of commercial companies, though it isn't typically covered by insurance.I don't recommend getting a calcium score of your coronary arteries via a computed tomography (CT) scan. This test is overused and often induces overwhelming anxiety in patients with a high calcium score but without symptoms or bona fide risk. If you have symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease, such as chest discomfort with exercise, then a CT angiogram may be helpful to map the coronary arteries. It is much more informative than a calcium score.7. Check your blood lipidsThe main lipid abnormality that requires attention is low-density cholesterol (LDL), which is often high and for people with increased risk of heart disease should certainly be addressed. While lifestyle improvements can help, significant elevation typically requires medications such as a statin; ezetimibe; bempedoic acid; or injectables such as evolocumab (Repatha), alirocumab (Praluent) or inclisiran (Leqvio). The higher the risk, the more aggressive LDL lowering may be considered.It should be noted that the use of potent statins, such as rosuvastatin or atorvastatin, especially at high doses, is linked to inducing glucose intolerance and risk of Type 2 diabetes. While this is not a common side effect, it requires attention since it is often missed from lack of awareness.A low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol often responds to weight loss and exercise. We used to think that high HDL was indicative of “good cholesterol,” but more recent evidence suggests that is not the case and it may reflect increased risk when very high.To get a comprehensive assessment of risk via your blood lipids, it's important to get the apolipoprotein B (apoB) test at least once because about 20 percent of people have normal LDL and a high apoB.Like low HDL, high fasting triglycerides may indicate insulin resistance as part of the metabolic syndrome and will often respond to lifestyle factors.The lipoprotein known as Lp(a) should also be assessed at least once because it indicates risk when elevated. The good news is scientists are on the cusp of finally having medications to lower it, with five different drugs in late-stage clinical trials.8. Reduce exposure to environmental pollutantsIn recent years, we've learned a lot about the substantial pro-inflammatory effects of air pollution, microplastics and forever chemicals, all of which have been linked to a higher risk of heart disease. In one study, microplastics or nanoplastics in the artery wall were found in about 60 percent of more than 300 people. Researchers found a vicious inflammatory response around the plastics, and a four- to fivefold risk of heart attacks or strokes during three years of follow-up.While we need policy changes to address these toxic substances in the environment, risk can be reduced by paying attention to air and water quality using filtration or purification devices, less use of plastic water bottles and plastic storage, and, in general, being much more aware and wary of our pervasive use of plastics.9. Don't smoke This point, it should be well known that cigarette smoking is a potent risk factor for coronary artery disease and should be completely avoided.10. Get Good SleepAlthough we tend to connect sleep health with brain and cognitive function, there's evidence that sleep regularity and quality are associated with less risk of heart disease. Regularity means adhering to a routine schedule as much as possible, and its benefit may be due to our body's preference for maintaining its circadian rhythm. Sleep quality — meaning with fewer interruptions — and maximal deep sleep can be tracked with smartwatches, fitness bands, rings or mattress sensors.Sleep apnea, when breathing stops and starts during sleep, is fairly common and often unsuspected. So if you're having trouble sleeping or you snore loudly, talk to your doctor about ruling out the condition. Testing for sleep apnea can involve checking for good oxygen saturation throughout one's sleep. That can be done through a sleep study or at home using rings or smartwatches that include oxygen saturation in their sensors and body movement algorithms that pick up disturbed breathing.Eric Topol, MD, is a cardiologist, professor and executive vice president of Scripps Research in San Diego. He is the author of “Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity” and the author of Ground Truths on Substack.*********************°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Thanks to many of you Ground Truths subscribers who helped put SUPER AGERS on the NYT bestseller list for 4 weeks.Here are 2 recent, informative, and fun conversations I had on the topicMichael Shermer, The SkepticRuss Roberts, EconTalk I'm also very appreciative for your reading and subscribing to Ground Truths.If you found this interesting PLEASE share it!That makes the work involved in putting these together especially worthwhile.All content on Ground Truths—its newsletters, analyses, and podcasts, are free, open-access.Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don't hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered.Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past three years. Just a week ago we just had nearly 50 interns (high school, college and medical students) present posters of the work they did over the summer and it was exhilarating! Some photos below Get full access to Ground Truths at erictopol.substack.com/subscribe

Pulitzer prize-winning author Caroline Fraser on the link between air pollution in the US and male violence. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

In this episode, we review the high-yield topic ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lead Poisoning ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from the Hematology section at ⁠⁠⁠⁠Medbullets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Medbullets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/medbulletsInstagram: www.instagram.com/medbulletsofficialTwitter: www.twitter.com/medbulletsLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medbullets

Lead exposure is still affecting families across Louisville, especially in older homes and historically underserved neighborhoods. On this episode we're talking with Dr. Brian Guinn, a lead poisoning researcher at U of L, and Patrick Rich from Louisville Metro Public Health about who's most at risk—and what's being done to protect people.

In this episode, we review the high-yield topic of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Lead Poisoning from the Hematology section.Follow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Medbullets⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/medbulletsInstagram: www.instagram.com/medbulletsofficialTwitter: www.twitter.com/medbullets

How can you tell if a child has been exposed to lead?  Janine Kerr from the Virginia Department of Health joined RHV to discuss resources to address lead poisoning. Resources: VDH Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Department of Housing and Community Development Lead Hazard Reduction Program EPA Lead-Based Paint Program EPA Lead-based Paint Professional Locator    

In episode 118, Ste sits down with Eric Ritter for a deep discussion about lead exposure. While most of the attention is on challenges like microplastics, mold, or ultra-processed foods, lead and other heavy metals are significant challenges that cannot be ignored.  Eric shares valuable insights into the signs and symptoms of lead poisoning, the most common sources of lead, and what to do about it. Instead of leaving you feeling overwhelmed, Eric arms you with the tools to overcome this challenge and improve your health.  Radical Health Radio is produced by Heart & Soil, a beef organ supplements company helping hundreds of thousands of people achieve radical health. Heart & Soil was founded by Dr. Paul Saladino, a double board-certified MD and founder of the animal-based eating philosophy. Visit heartandsoil.co to reclaim your birthright to radical health with the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.

Do you live in an older home or love purchasing cookware from thrift stores? You could be exposed to the heavy metal lead which can increase ADHD and lower IQ. It can also elevate blood pressure and even lead to more serious effects like heart attacks. Eric Ritter created an affordable at-home test called Fluoro-Spec that allows you to become a lead detective and nail down the source in your home.  In this interview he shares the history of lead, how social media influencers can easily sensationalize the numbers, how to view parts per billion amounts of lead in food products in proper context, how shooting ranges expose you to lead, which mineral the body mistakes for lead, his thoughts on lead content in salts, which foods have the highest lead content, what to look out for when renovating a home, his thoughts on if we should go back to using lead paint to shield from EMFs, and a whole lot more.  Eric's website: https://www.detectlead.com https://www.everythinglead.org/index.php/Main_Page Eric's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericeverythinglead My website: www.matt-blackburn.com Mitolife products: www.mitolife.co Music by Nicholas Jimenez: https://spoti.fi/4cte2nD

Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us to Milwaukee, where rising concerns over lead paint in public schools have parents and health officials on high alert. Plus, answers to your questions about lead in everyday life — including whether that chocolate you're eating could be a hidden source of exposure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listen to ASCO's JCO Oncology Practice, Art of Oncology Practice article, "An Oncologist's Guide to Ensuring Your First Medical Grand Rounds Will Be Your Last” by Dr. David Johnson, who is a clinical oncologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. The article is followed by an interview with Johnson and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Through humor and irony, Johnson critiques how overspecialization and poor presentation practices have eroded what was once internal medicine's premier educational forum. Transcript Narrator: An Oncologist's Guide to Ensuring Your First Medical Grand Rounds Will Be Your Last, by David H. Johnson, MD, MACP, FASCO   Over the past five decades, I have attended hundreds of medical conferences—some insightful and illuminating, others tedious and forgettable. Among these countless gatherings, Medical Grand Rounds (MGRs) has always held a special place. Originally conceived as a forum for discussing complex clinical cases, emerging research, and best practices in patient care, MGRs served as a unifying platform for clinicians across all specialties, along with medical students, residents, and other health care professionals. Expert speakers—whether esteemed faculty or distinguished guests—would discuss challenging cases, using them as a springboard to explore the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment. During my early years as a medical student, resident, and junior faculty member, Grand Rounds consistently attracted large, engaged audiences. However, as medicine became increasingly subspecialized, attendance began to wane. Lectures grew more technically intricate, often straying from broad clinical relevance. The patient-centered discussions that once brought together diverse medical professionals gradually gave way to hyperspecialized presentations. Subspecialists, once eager to share their insights with the wider medical community, increasingly withdrew to their own specialty-specific conferences, further fragmenting the exchange of knowledge across disciplines. As a former Chair of Internal Medicine and a veteran of numerous MGRs, I observed firsthand how these sessions shifted from dynamic educational exchanges to highly specialized, often impenetrable discussions. One of the most striking trends in recent years has been the decline in presentation quality at MGR—even among local and visiting world-renowned experts. While these speakers are often brilliant clinicians and investigators, they can also be remarkably poor lecturers, delivering some of the most uninspiring talks I have encountered. Their presentations are so consistently lackluster that one might suspect an underlying strategy at play—an unspoken method to ensure that they are never invited back. Having observed this pattern repeatedly, I am convinced that these speakers must be adhering to a set of unwritten rules to avoid future MGR presentations. To assist those unfamiliar with this apparent strategy, I have distilled the key principles that, when followed correctly, all but guarantee that a presenter will not be asked to give another MGR lecture—thus sparing them the burden of preparing one in the future. Drawing on my experience as an oncologist, I illustrate these principles using an oncology-based example although I suspect similar rules apply across other subspecialties. It will be up to my colleagues in cardiology, endocrinology, rheumatology, and beyond to identify and document their own versions—tasks for which I claim no expertise. What follows are the seven “Rules for Presenting a Bad Medical Oncology Medical Grand Rounds.” 1.  Microscopic Mayhem: Always begin with an excruciatingly detailed breakdown of the tumor's histology and molecular markers, emphasizing how these have evolved over the years (eg, PAP v prostate-specific antigen)—except, of course, when they have not (eg, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, etc). These nuances, while of limited relevance to general internists or most subspecialists (aside from oncologists), are guaranteed to induce eye-glazing boredom and quiet despair among your audience. 2. TNM Torture: Next, cover every nuance of the newest staging system … this is always a real crowd pleaser. For illustrative purposes, show a TNM chart in the smallest possible font. It is particularly helpful if you provide a lengthy review of previous versions of the staging system and painstakingly cover each and every change in the system. Importantly, this activity will allow you to disavow the relevance of all previous literature studies to which you will subsequently refer during the course of your presentation … to wit—“these data are based on the OLD staging system and therefore may not pertain …” This phrase is pure gold—use it often if you can. NB: You will know you have “captured” your audience if you observe audience members “shifting in their seats” … it occurs almost every time … but if you have failed to “move” the audience … by all means, continue reading … there is more! 3. Mechanism of Action Meltdown: Discuss in detail every drug ever used to treat the cancer under discussion; this works best if you also give a detailed description of each drug's mechanism of action (MOA). General internists and subspecialists just LOVE hearing a detailed discussion of the drug's MOA … especially if it is not at all relevant to the objectives of your talk. At this point, if you observe a wave of slack-jawed faces slowly slumping toward their desktops, you will know you are on your way to successfully crushing your audience's collective spirit. Keep going—you are almost there. 4. Dosage Deadlock: One must discuss “dose response” … there is absolutely nothing like a dose response presentation to a group of internists to induce cries of anguish. A wonderful example of how one might weave this into a lecture to generalists or a mixed audience of subspecialists is to discuss details that ONLY an oncologist would care about—such as the need to dose escalate imatinib in GIST patients with exon 9 mutations as compared with those with exon 11 mutations. This is a definite winner! 5. Criteria Catatonia: Do not forget to discuss the newest computed tomography or positron emission tomography criteria for determining response … especially if you plan to discuss an obscure malignancy that even oncologists rarely encounter (eg, esthesioneuroblastoma). Should you plan to discuss a common disease you can ensure ennui only if you will spend extra time discussing RECIST criteria. Now if you do this well, some audience members may begin fashioning their breakfast burritos into projectiles—each one aimed squarely at YOU. Be brave … soldier on! 6. Kaplan-Meier Killer: Make sure to discuss the arcane details of multiple negative phase II and III trials pertaining to the cancer under discussion. It is best to show several inconsequential and hard-to-read Kaplan-Meier plots. To make sure that you do a bad job, divide this portion of your presentation into two sections … one focused on adjuvant treatment; the second part should consist of a long boring soliloquy on the management of metastatic disease. Provide detailed information of little interest even to the most ardent fan of the disease you are discussing. This alone will almost certainly ensure that you will never, ever be asked to give Medicine Grand Rounds again. 7. Lymph Node Lobotomy: For the coup de grâce, be sure to include an exhaustive discussion of the latest surgical techniques, down to the precise number of lymph nodes required for an “adequate dissection.” To be fair, such details can be invaluable in specialized settings like a tumor board, where they send subspecialists into rapturous delight. But in the context of MGR—where the audience spans multiple disciplines—it will almost certainly induce a stultifying torpor. If dullness were an art, this would be its masterpiece—capable of lulling even the most caffeinated minds into a stupor. If you have carefully followed the above set of rules, at this point, some members of the audience should be banging their heads against the nearest hard surface. If you then hear a loud THUD … and you're still standing … you will know you have succeeded in giving the world's worst Medical Grand Rounds!   Final Thoughts I hope that these rules shed light on what makes for a truly dreadful oncology MGR presentation—which, by inverse reasoning, might just serve as a blueprint for an excellent one. At its best, an outstanding lecture defies expectations. One of the most memorable MGRs I have attended, for instance, was on prostaglandin function—not a subject typically associated with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Given by a biochemist and physician from another subspecialty, it could have easily devolved into a labyrinth of enzymatic pathways and chemical structures. Instead, the speaker took a different approach: rather than focusing on biochemical minutiae, he illustrated how prostaglandins influence nearly every major physiologic system—modulating inflammation, regulating cardiovascular function, protecting the gut, aiding reproduction, supporting renal function, and even influencing the nervous system—without a single slide depicting the prostaglandin structure. The result? A room full of clinicians—not biochemists—walked away with a far richer understanding of how prostaglandins affect their daily practice. What is even more remarkable is that the talk's clarity did not just inform—it sparked new collaborations that shaped years of NIH-funded research. Now that was an MGR masterpiece. At its core, effective scientific communication boils down to three deceptively simple principles: understanding your audience, focusing on relevance, and making complex information accessible.2 The best MGRs do not drown the audience in details, but rather illuminate why those details matter. A great lecture is not about showing how much you know, but about ensuring your audience leaves knowing something they didn't before. For those who prefer the structured wisdom of a written guide over the ramblings of a curmudgeon, an excellent review of these principles—complete with a handy checklist—is available.2 But fair warning: if you follow these principles, you may find yourself invited back to present another stellar MGRs. Perish the thought! Dr. Mikkael SekeresHello and welcome to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology, which features essays and personal reflections from authors exploring their experience in the oncology field. I'm your host, Mikkael Sekeres. I'm Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami.  What a pleasure it is today to be joined by Dr. David Johnson, clinical oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. In this episode, we will be discussing his Art of Oncology Practice article, "An Oncologist's Guide to Ensuring Your First Medical Grand Rounds Will Be Your Last."  Our guest's disclosures will be linked in the transcript.  David, welcome to our podcast and thanks so much for joining us. Dr. David JohnsonGreat to be here, Mikkael. Thanks for inviting me. Dr. Mikkael SekeresI was wondering if we could start with just- give us a sense about you. Can you tell us about yourself? Where are you from? And walk us through your career. Dr. David JohnsonSure. I grew up in a small rural community in Northwest Georgia about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the Appalachian Mountains. I met my wife in kindergarten. Dr. Mikkael SekeresOh my. Dr. David JohnsonThere are laws in Georgia. We didn't get married till the third grade. But we dated in high school and got married after college. And so we've literally been with one another my entire life, our entire lives. Dr. Mikkael SekeresMy word. Dr. David JohnsonI went to medical school in Georgia. I did my training in multiple sites, including my oncology training at Vanderbilt, where I completed my training. I spent the next 30 years there, where I had a wonderful career. Got an opportunity to be a Division Chief and a Deputy Director of, and the founder of, a cancer center there. And in 2010, I was recruited to UT Southwestern as the Chairman of Medicine. Not a position I had particularly aspired to, but I was interested in taking on that challenge, and it proved to be quite a challenge for me. I had to relearn internal medicine, and really all the subspecialties of medicine really became quite challenging to me. So my career has spanned sort of the entire spectrum, I suppose, as a clinical investigator, as an administrator, and now as a near end-of-my-career guy who writes ridiculous articles about grand rounds. Dr. Mikkael SekeresNot ridiculous at all. It was terrific. What was that like, having to retool? And this is a theme you cover a little bit in your essay, also, from something that's super specialized. I mean, you have had this storied career with the focus on lung cancer, and then having to expand not only to all of hematology oncology, but all of medicine. Dr. David JohnsonIt was a challenge, but it was also incredibly fun. My first few days in the chair's office, I met with a number of individuals, but perhaps the most important individuals I met with were the incoming chief residents who were, and are, brilliant men and women. And we made a pact. I promised to teach them as much as I could about oncology if they would teach me as much as they could about internal medicine. And so I spent that first year literally trying to relearn medicine. And I had great teachers. Several of those chiefs are now on the faculty here or elsewhere. And that continued on for the next several years. Every group of chief residents imparted their wisdom to me, and I gave them what little bit I could provide back to them in the oncology world. It was a lot of fun. And I have to say, I don't necessarily recommend everybody go into administration. It's not necessarily the most fun thing in the world to do. But the opportunity to deal one-on-one closely with really brilliant men and women like the chief residents was probably the highlight of my time as Chair of Medicine. Dr. Mikkael SekeresThat sounds incredible. I can imagine, just reflecting over the two decades that I've been in hematology oncology and thinking about the changes in how we diagnose and care for people over that time period, I can only imagine what the changes had been in internal medicine since I was last immersed in that, which would be my residency. Dr. David JohnsonWell, I trained in the 70s in internal medicine, and what transpired in the 70s was kind of ‘monkey see, monkey do'. We didn't really have a lot of understanding of pathophysiology except at the most basic level. Things have changed enormously, as you well know, certainly in the field of oncology and hematology, but in all the other fields as well. And so I came in with what I thought was a pretty good foundation of knowledge, and I realized it was completely worthless, what I had learned as an intern and resident. And when I say I had to relearn medicine, I mean, I had to relearn medicine. It was like being an intern. Actually, it was like being a medical student all over again. Dr. Mikkael SekeresOh, wow. Dr. David JohnsonSo it's quite challenging.  Dr. Mikkael SekeresWell, and it's just so interesting. You're so deliberate in your writing and thinking through something like grand rounds. It's not a surprise, David, that you were also deliberate in how you were going to approach relearning medicine. So I wonder if we could pivot to talking about grand rounds, because part of being a Chair of Medicine, of course, is having Department of Medicine grand rounds. And whether those are in a cancer center or a department of medicine, it's an honor to be invited to give a grand rounds talk. How do you think grand rounds have changed over the past few decades? Can you give an example of what grand rounds looked like in the 1990s compared to what they look like now? Dr. David JohnsonWell, I should all go back to the 70s and and talk about grand rounds in the 70s. And I referenced an article in my essay written by Dr. Ingelfinger, who many people remember Dr. Ingelfinger as the Ingelfinger Rule, which the New England Journal used to apply. You couldn't publish in the New England Journal if you had published or publicly presented your data prior to its presentation in the New England Journal. Anyway, Dr. Ingelfinger wrote an article which, as I say, I referenced in my essay, about the graying of grand rounds, when he talked about what grand rounds used to be like. It was a very almost sacred event where patients were presented, and then experts in the field would discuss the case and impart to the audience their wisdom and knowledge garnered over years of caring for patients with that particular problem, might- a disease like AML, or lung cancer, or adrenal insufficiency, and talk about it not just from a pathophysiologic standpoint, but from a clinician standpoint. How do these patients present? What do you do? How do you go about diagnosing and what can you do to take care of those kinds of patients? It was very patient-centric. And often times the patient, him or herself, was presented at the grand rounds. And then experts sitting in the front row would often query the speaker and put him or her under a lot of stress to answer very specific questions about the case or about the disease itself.  Over time, that evolved, and some would say devolved, but evolved into more specialized and nuanced presentations, generally without a patient present, or maybe even not even referred to, but very specifically about the molecular biology of disease, which is marvelous and wonderful to talk about, but not necessarily in a grand round setting where you've got cardiologists sitting next to endocrinologists, seated next to nephrologists, seated next to primary care physicians and, you know, an MS1 and an MS2 and et cetera. So it was very evident to me that what I had witnessed in my early years in medicine had really become more and more subspecialized. As a result, grand rounds, which used to be packed and standing room only, became echo chambers. It was like a C-SPAN presentation, you know, where local representative got up and gave a talk and the chambers were completely empty. And so we had to go to do things like force people to attend grand rounds like a Soviet Union-style rally or something, you know. You have to pay them to go. But it was really that observation that got me to thinking about it.  And by the way, I love oncology and I'm, I think there's so much exciting progress that's being made that I want the presentations to be exciting to everybody, not just to the oncologist or the hematologist, for example. And what I was witnessing was kind of a formula that, almost like a pancake formula, that everybody followed the same rules. You know, “This disease is the third most common cancer and it presents in this way and that way.” And it was very, very formulaic. It wasn't energizing and exciting as it had been when we were discussing individual patients. So, you know, it just is what it is. I mean, progress is progress and you can't stop it. And I'm not trying to make America great again, you know, by going back to the 70s, but I do think sometimes we overthink what medical grand rounds ought to be as compared to a presentation at ASH or ASCO where you're talking to subspecialists who understand the nuances and you don't have to explain the abbreviations, you know, that type of thing. Dr. Mikkael SekeresSo I wonder, you talk about the echo chamber of the grand rounds nowadays, right? It's not as well attended. It used to be a packed event, and it used to be almost a who's who of, of who's in the department. You'd see some very famous people who would attend every grand rounds and some up-and-comers, and it was a chance for the chief residents to shine as well. How do you think COVID and the use of Zoom has changed the personality and energy of grand rounds? Is it better because, frankly, more people attend—they just attend virtually. Last time I attended, I mean, I attend our Department of Medicine grand rounds weekly, and I'll often see 150, 200 people on the Zoom. Or is it worse because the interaction's limited? Dr. David JohnsonYeah, I don't want to be one of those old curmudgeons that says, you know, the way it used to be is always better. But there's no question that the convenience of Zoom or similar media, virtual events, is remarkable. I do like being able to sit in my office where I am right now and watch a conference across campus that I don't have to walk 30 minutes to get to. I like that, although I need the exercise. But at the same time, I think one of the most important aspects of coming together is lost with virtual meetings, and that's the casual conversation that takes place. I mentioned in my essay an example of the grand rounds that I attended given by someone in a different specialty who was both a physician and a PhD in biochemistry, and he was talking about prostaglandin metabolism. And talk about a yawner of a title; you almost have to prop your eyelids open with toothpicks. But it turned out to be one of the most fascinating, engaging conversations I've ever encountered. And moreover, it completely opened my eyes to an area of research that I had not been exposed to at all. And it became immediately obvious to me that it was relevant to the area of my interest, which was lung cancer. This individual happened to be just studying colon cancer. He's not an oncologist, but he was studying colon cancer. But it was really interesting what he was talking about. And he made it very relevant to every subspecialist and generalist in the audience because he talked about how prostaglandin has made a difference in various aspects of human physiology.  The other grand rounds which always sticks in my mind was presented by a long standing program director at my former institution of Vanderbilt. He's passed away many years ago, but he gave a fascinating grand rounds where he presented the case of a homeless person. I can't remember the title of his grand rounds exactly, but I think it was “Care of the Homeless” or something like that. So again, not something that necessarily had people rushing to the audience. What he did is he presented this case as a mysterious case, you know, “what is it?” And he slowly built up the presentation of this individual who repeatedly came to the emergency department for various and sundry complaints. And to make a long story short, he presented a case that turned out to be lead poisoning. Everybody was on the edge of their seat trying to figure out what it was. And he was challenging members of the audience and senior members of the audience, including the Cair, and saying, “What do you think?” And it turned out that the patient became intoxicated not by eating paint chips or drinking lead infused liquids. He was burning car batteries to stay alive and inhaling lead fumes, which itself was fascinating, you know, so it was a fabulous grand rounds. And I mean, everybody learned something about the disease that they might otherwise have ignored, you know, if it'd been a title “Lead Poisoning”, I'm not sure a lot of people would have shown up. Dr. Mikkael Sekeres That story, David, reminds me of Tracy Kidder, who's a master of the nonfiction narrative, will choose a subject and kind of just go into great depth about it, and that subject could be a person. And he wrote a book called Rough Sleepers about Jim O'Connell - and Jim O'Connell was one of my attendings when I did my residency at Mass General - and about his life and what he learned about the homeless. And it's this same kind of engaging, “Wow, I never thought about that.” And it takes you in a different direction.  And you know, in your essay, you make a really interesting comment. You reflect that subspecialists, once eager to share their insight with the wider medical community, increasingly withdraw to their own specialty specific conferences, further fragmenting the exchange of knowledge across disciplines. How do you think this affects their ability to gain new insights into their research when they hear from a broader audience and get questions that they usually don't face, as opposed to being sucked into the groupthink of other subspecialists who are similarly isolated? Dr. David Johnson That's one of the reasons I chose to illustrate that prostaglandin presentation, because again, that was not something that I specifically knew much about. And as I said, I went to the grand rounds more out of a sense of obligation than a sense of engagement. Moreover, our Chair at that institution forced us to go, so I was there, not by choice, but I'm so glad I was, because like you say, I got insight into an area that I had not really thought about and that cross pollination and fertilization is really a critical aspect. I think that you can gain at a broad conference like Medical Grand Rounds as opposed to a niche conference where you're talking about APL. You know, everybody's an APL expert, but they never thought about diabetes and how that might impact on their research. So it's not like there's an ‘aha' moment at every Grand Rounds, but I do think that those kinds of broad based audiences can sometimes bring a different perspective that even the speaker, him or herself had not thought of. Dr. Mikkael SekeresI think that's a great place to end and to thank David Johnson, who's a clinical oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and just penned the essay in JCO Art of Oncology Practice entitled "An Oncologist's Guide to Ensuring Your First Medical Grand Rounds Will Be Your Last."  Until next time, thank you for listening to JCO's Cancer Stories: The Art of Oncology. Don't forget to give us a rating or review, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. You can find all of ASCO's shows at asco.org/podcasts.  David, once again, I want to thank you for joining me today. Dr. David JohnsonThank you very much for having me. The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. This is not a substitute for professional medical care and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of individual conditions. Guests on this podcast express their own opinions, experience, and conclusions. Guest statements on the podcast do not express the opinions of ASCO. The mention of any product, service, organization, activity, or therapy should not be construed as an ASCO endorsement.    Show notes: Like, share and subscribe so you never miss an episode and leave a rating or review.  Guest Bio: Dr David Johnson is a clinical oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Lisa Patel is a pediatrician and an expert in environmental health who says that pollution is taking an increasing toll on children's health. Pollution from wildfires, fossil fuels, and plastics can cause asthma, pneumonia, and risks dementia in the long-term. But, she says, all hope is not lost. Solutions range from DIY air filters to choosing induction stoves over gas, cutting down on meat consumption and plastics use, and pursuing clean energy, among other strategies. If we all take local action, we can solve this problem globally, Patel tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.Episode Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Lisa PatelConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces guest Lisa Patel, a professor of pediatrics at Stanford University.(00:03:39) Climate Advocacy JourneyThe personal events that drove Lisa's focus to environmental health.(00:04:53) Fossil Fuels and Clean Air ActHow fossil fuels and weakened regulations harm public health.(00:07:20 Long-Term Health ImpactsLinks between pollution to asthma, cancer, and early Alzheimer's.(00:10:12) Air Quality Guidance for FamiliesAdvising parents on air quality monitoring and precautions.(00:13:04) Indoor Cooking and Gas PollutionHow pollution from gas stoves impacts indoor air quality.(00:14:37) Lead in Water and Health RisksCurrent issues with lead exposure in water for children.(00:16:24) Microplastics and Early Health DamageEvidence showing widespread microplastics are harmful to health.(00:19:12) Clean Energy Progress and SetbacksBenefits of renewable energy and dangers of policy rollback.(00:21:22) Active Transport and Better AirThe environmental impact of increasing public transit.(00:22:44) Benefits of Electric VehiclesHow electric vehicles are linked to cleaner air and healthier kids.(00:23:51) Plant-Forward Diets for HealthWhether plant-forward diets aid personal and planetary health.(00:25:33) Kids Leading Dietary ChangesChildren's reactions and adaptations to plant-forward diets.(00:28:12) Taking Local ActionThe local actions that can offer real solutions for change.(00:31:01) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Dr. Hoffman continues his conversation with Dr. Chris Warren, author of "Starved for Light: The Long Shadow of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency."

The Long Shadow of Rickets: Vitamin D, Historical Insights, and Modern Implications. Dr. Chris Warren, a history professor at Brooklyn College delves into the origins and prevalence of rickets, a condition now largely unknown but once widespread. Dr. Warren explains the factors contributing to rickets, particularly Vitamin D deficiency, and shares insights from his book, "Starved for Light: The Long Shadow of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency." The discussion covers socioeconomic, industrial, and environmental aspects, along with the relevance of cod liver oil, sunlight exposure, and the evolution of Vitamin D synthesis. There are also reflections on modern implications of Vitamin D deficiency and racial differences in processing Vitamin D. The episode concludes with a look at how historical medical practices around rickets influenced today's medical norms and practices.

This episode discusses four MMWR reports. First, a new CDC study explores possible transmission of the virus that causes H5N1 bird flu from dairy workers to two indoor-only cats in Michigan. Second, the dengue outbreak in Puerto Rico continues, with children 10-19 years old being most affected. Third, wastewater testing and viral genetic testing can provide information on the community spread of hepatitis A. Last, scientists recorded a brief 110-fold increase in air lead levels during the 2025 LA fires.

We are about to say goodbye to some basic water protections as the Trump Administration looks to undo decades of science-based work focused on keeping toxic chemicals out of our water supplies. Right now on the Defender, Amy talks with Clean Wisconsin attorney Evan Feinauer about how bedrock protections like the Clean Water Act could be at risk as the new administration targets regulations, research, and expert staff at the EPA. Find out what's at stake and how Wisconsin can fight back. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Evan Feinauer Resources for You:  Under the Lens: What we know about PFAS in Wisconsin's Water Nitrate pollution's impact on Wisconsn's health and economy Neonicotinoid pesticides and their impact More episodes with Evan:  When Judges Rule the Environment: How bad are the new Supreme Court rulings? What Trump 2.0 means for our environment    

Lead is a neurotoxin, and when you breathe it in, it gets into your bloodstream and can cause all kinds of health problems, including brain damage. It's no wonder leaded gasoline was banned in the US nearly 30 years ago. But that ban didn't cover small aircraft fuel. Turns out, those small airplanes buzzing around recreational airports across the state and country still use leaded gas. The planes are spreading tiny lead particles over people's backyards, water wells, playgrounds, soccer fields and waterways just about every time they fly. It this episode, Amy talks with a small town Wisconsin lawmaker who is leading her community's charge to get the lead out of our air. And she's got an eye-opening study that shows how our drinking water could be at risk too. Host: Amy Barrilleaux Guest: Cynthia Richson, Town of Middleton, Wis., town board chair Resources for you:  EPA Lead Endangerment Finding    

We're experimenting and would love to hear from you!In today's episode of 'Discover Daily', we explore Anthropic's meteoric rise as the AI startup eyes a staggering $60 billion valuation, backed by major partnerships with tech giants and impressive revenue growth. We then uncover fascinating research about how widespread lead pollution during the Roman Empire may have caused significant cognitive decline, with evidence preserved in Arctic ice cores revealing the extent of this ancient environmental crisis.Our main segment delves into the revolutionary world of AI chips, where innovations are potentially surpassing Moore's Law's traditional limitations. We explore how NVIDIA's groundbreaking Blackwell platform and GB200 NVL72 Superchip are setting new standards in AI processing capabilities, demonstrating unprecedented performance improvements that could reshape the future of computing and artificial intelligence.From Perplexity's Discover Feed: https://www.perplexity.ai/page/roman-empire-lead-poisoning-lo-2TticnTyRcmBLAeTKfupRghttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/anthropic-eyes-60-billion-valu-kKKiArFkRFyRd9rrkEwuDAhttps://www.perplexity.ai/page/ai-chips-may-outpace-moore-s-l-HcJymVppT6CVb.t_Kyjw4QPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you're interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin

 For our first TF episode of 2025 (recorded in 2025, that is), we're talking about recent events in the United States, plus Elon Musk's decision to weigh in on British politics and its downstream effects: ruining Keir Starmer's toboggan ride, among other things. We very much hope you enjoy. Get the full episode on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/119250867 *POPES/LAGOON SHIRTS STILL AVAILABLE!* We've got some extras of our recent shirts that can be purchased online and will ship immediately! Get them here: https://trashfuture.co.uk/collections/all *MILO ALERT* Check out Milo's UK Tour here: https://miloedwards.co.uk/live-shows Trashfuture are: Riley (@raaleh), Milo (@Milo_Edwards), Hussein (@HKesvani), Nate (@inthesedeserts), and November (@postoctobrist)

In this enlightening podcast episode, Dr. Dr. Venkatesh delves into the pervasive issue of lead poisoning and its profound impact on public health, particularly among children in Nepal. He discusses the alarming rise of lead levels in the body, shedding light on how lead exposure occurs through various sources such as contaminated air, water, and consumer products. The conversation highlights the vulnerability of children, who absorb lead more efficiently than adults, leading to severe health consequences. A poignant segment recounts a tragic case of lead poisoning in children, emphasizing the urgent need for awareness and preventive measures. Dr. Vainkatesh explains the processes of lead absorption and excretion, underscoring the body's challenges in eliminating this toxic metal. He also addresses the financial implications of lead exposure, including the economic burden due to healthcare costs and loss of productivity. The discussion extends to heavy metal certifications, exploring the importance of regulating and certifying products to ensure they are free from harmful levels of lead and other heavy metals. Dr. Vainkatesh shares insights into the certification of laboratories, highlighting their role in accurate detection and analysis of lead in various materials. A significant portion of the podcast is dedicated to high-altitude medicine, where Dr. Vainkatesh discusses the physiological effects of high altitudes on the human body, including mountain sickness. He elaborates on the body's adaptation mechanisms and the medical interventions necessary to manage altitude-related health issues. Throughout the episode, Dr. Vainkatesh reflects on his journey to Nepal, sharing his motivations and experiences that led him to work in this region. He offers a philosophical perspective on life and medicine, providing listeners with a holistic understanding of his approach to healthcare and environmental health. This comprehensive discussion not only educates listeners about the dangers of lead exposure and the importance of preventive measures but also provides valuable insights into the intersection of environmental health and medical practice in challenging terrains like Nepal. GET CONNECTED WITH Dr. Venkatesh: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatesh-thuppil-1548573?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app  

SummaryIn this episode, Clayton Cuteri delves into the alarming issue of lead in drinking water, sparked by a personal notification from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. He explores the implications of government accountability, the historical context of the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, and the financial mismanagement surrounding public health initiatives. Cuteri emphasizes the importance of individual empowerment and civic responsibility in driving change and holding authorities accountable for their actions.Clayton's Social MediaTikTok | Instagram | Twitter (X) | YouTube Timecodes:00:00 - Intro01:01 - Lead in Drinking Water: A Personal Revelation06:06 - Government Accountability and Public Health10:19 - The Bureau of Safe Drinking Water: A Historical Perspective15:11 - Financial Mismanagement and Public Trust18:25 - Empowering Change: The Role of the IndividualIntro/Outro Music Producer: Don KinIG: https://www.instagram.com/donkinmusic/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44QKqKsd81oJEBKffwdFfPSuper grateful for this guy ^Send Clayton a text message!Support the showMaster Link: HEREFREE 999 Meditation Challenge: Sign Up Here

The risks of lead poisoning in harvested deer. Milwaukee Public Library's entrepreneur-in-residence. A conversation with radio host Bob Reitman, who reflects on his time at WUWM in honor of our 60th birthday.

This week, the gals uncover some of the hidden dangers in a very common natural element. Topics include an insulting pretty-sister ratio, Beethoven's depressing last years, and a doomed Arctic expedition. Pop open a fresh bottle of Masciarelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, quit licking the walls, and tune in for Lead Crimes. For a full list of show sponsors, visit https://wineandcrimepodcast.com/sponsors  

Humanity has had a long and vexed relationship with the element lead. The problem is the stuff is terribly useful – and terribly toxic. Think Roman water pipes, lead paint, lead petrol. Now, new research is adding to a global body of work showing that there are more downsides to using lead in ammunition than we previously realised. Our Changing World's Alison Ballance is in Nelson to find out more. 

Chas & Dr Dave discuss The Stuffed Corpse of Robert Menzies, Stirring A Brackish Pool With A Stick, and Dave has Lead Poisoning 0:00 - Intro 1:57 - Grateful For Wests Tigers/Phil Donohue 5:01 - Correspondence (Colbert/ Raygun/ Leadership Spills/ Dark Shadows/ Unreliable Sources) 22:50 - The Democratic Convention 41:47 - Stats Nugget (Afghanistan Lead Poisoning) 46:20 - Trump's New Strategy 1:04:05 - RFK Dropping Out? 1:18:15 - Polling Update 1:23:34 - Crypto Correspondence 1:35:32 - Policy Time (Harris Price Gouging) 1:58:20 - Odds And Ends 2:02:21 - Stats Nugget (Presidential Linguistic Complexity) 2:09:25 - Chas Unleashed (Harris Cost of Living/Housing Policies) 2:41:54 - Chas Unleashed (QuietSkies) HOMEWORK/SHOWNOTES * Raygun's Conversation article https://breaking-the-newest-olympic-sport.netlify.app/ * John McWhorter's article about "weird" https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/opinion/the-hidden-grammatical-reason-that-weird-works.html

Send us a Text Message.Lead is a long-lasting toxic metal that can be deadly if ingested. Because of years of hunting with lead ammunition, this dangerous substance is all over our environment, and scientists consider the use of lead ammunition to be the greatest unregulated source of lead knowingly released into the environment in the United States.Love and compassion for animals can bring everyone together. ‘Humane Voices' is the official podcast of the Humane Society of the United States. We'll explore the issues facing animals, interview worldwide animal experts, and discuss what you can do to get involved and help. If you care about the welfare of animals, or have a special pet or two in your life, this is the podcast for you.Contact us at podcast@humanesociety.org to offer feedback and suggest future episode topics.

The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority failed to report at least 10 cases, according to an audit by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In this bonus episode Ryan highlights some of the great episodes done in 2023 and compiles ALL of the stump the toxicologist segments from 2023 into one easy to consume episode. Test your toxicology differential skills with more than six poisoning cases. Check out the actual episodes for more information in the show notes on each of the poisonings. 

Could you be unknowingly exposing your family to lead? Most of the time, people don't start testing for lead until after the exposure, and maybe even poisoning, has already occurred. Today's guest, Eric Ritter, noticed this issue and made it his mission to make testing a more preventative measure. Eric Ritter, also known as @EricEverythingLead on Instagram, is a great resource if you're feeling any anxiety about lead exposure! First, he developed an affordable swab test. But once he realized how the tests were being used in a reactionary way, he created a product that encourages preventative use. The Fluoro-Spec Test, a glowing lead detection kit that is transforming how we identify lead contamination in our homes.In this episode, we delve into the science behind lead testing kits, address the issue of false positives with traditional lead tests, and underscore the importance of precision in public health. From the dishes in your china cabinet to the water you're drinking every day, lead exposure is a risk. But let's not get too obsessive about it! It's also not healthy or possible to try to avoid lead exposure all together. Lead contamination is not just an issue of the past; it continues to affect many households, especially older ones. Eric and I discuss the exacerbating factors like water quality issues, drawing parallels to infamous cases such as Flint, Michigan. We offer practical advice on mitigating lead exposure, the historical context of lead poisoning, and the psychological impact on parents. Learn about the importance of monitoring water quality, testing household items, and staying vigilant against environmental toxins to ensure your family's safety. Join us for this enlightening conversation that promises to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to combat lead contamination effectively.Grab an at home test kit and use code WENDY10 for 10% offRead more in the Shownoteshead on over to www.detoxyourpits.com and use discount code WENDYKATHRYN at checkout for 10% off! If you enjoyed this weeks' episode, please: Leave a a positive review or rating wherever you listen Shop toxin free products on my Toxin Free Shopping Guide Download your free Tossing the Toxins Guide Post a screenshot and what you loved and and tag me on instagram @wendy_toxinfreeish Want to ask me a question to get answered on the podcast? Leave me a voice message here.

"Lead exposure mainly comes from contaminated water, old paint, soil, or consumer products. While chronic lead exposure is harmful, living a healthy lifestyle and detoxifying habits like high-fiber foods, sweating, and exercise can help mitigate its effects."You've probably heard the recent buzz about potential lead exposure from everyday household items like beloved mugs and dishes.While this is a concerning topic, there's no need to panic just yet. In this episode, we sat down with lead expert Eric Ritter of Eric Everything Lead to explore surprising sources of lead in our homes. He sheds light on what levels of lead exposure are truly concerning, explains how it affects adults and young children, and provides practical tips for minimizing risks.Ready to feel educated, empowered, and prepared to tackle this issue head-on?Hit play on Season 3, Episode 15 of the Gutsy Health Podcast!Show Highlights: 00:00 - Episode start01:59 - How Eric got into lead testing04:59 - A dire need for reliable lead exposure information and testing07:15 - Questioning where lead companies are selling their products and the lack of regulations08:43 - Identifying lead crystal glassware by weight and appearance09:56 - The invisible risk of lead exposure and how to protect ourselves through testing12:15 - How to know if water is acidic and risks of lead leaching13:24 - The effects of lead poisoning, especially cognitive impairment in children17:57 - What can parents do to protect themselves and their children from toxic lead exposure?21:27 - High-lead foods to watch out for, like chocolate, root vegetables, and turmeric24:43 - How alarmed should people be about lead exposure?30:06 - What should people be looking for when it comes to testing kits?34:26 - Challenges in disclosing lower lead levels due to liability39:17 - Why Eric is working on getting a more sensitive lead testing spray approved43:59 - Recommended products for detoxifying from heavy metals46:31 - Dietary tips to reduce lead absorption like zinc, selenium, and calcium52:19 - How to find Eric's current Amazon lead test kitsImportant Links: Gutsy Health Website - https://www.mygutsyhealth.com/Gutsy Health Podcast IG - https://www.instagram.com/gutsyhealthpodcast/Reach out to Provo Health and schedule a consultation with Dr. Jeff Wright by calling 801-691-1765Enter your name and email to get Juanique's Generalized Detox Protocol - [link here]Lead Safe Mama - https://tamararubin.com/Connect with Eric Ritter on:Website - https://www.detectlead.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ericeverythinglead/SCITUS Rapid Lead Test Kits - https://www.amazon.com/SCITUS-Lead-Paint-Test-Easy/dp/B0CP2ZW1MRSend us a Text Message.

(4:36) - All The Brain Chip Implant Benefits & None of The SurgeryThis episode was brought to you by Mouser, our favorite place to get electronics parts for any project, whether it be a hobby at home or a prototype for work. Click HERE to learn more about how Amazon sidewalk can be used to make YOU a good neighbor and support your neighborhood via IoT devices, and if you have some extra time on your hands, how to make a sensor yourself!Become a founding reader of our newsletter: read.thenextbyte.com

Attacks between some of the Republican candidates for governor sharpened last night during the primary's first televised debate. Tests on children at an Indianapolis school show evidence of long-term damage from lead could be hiding in kids' bones. Purdue University launched a brand new program last year to bring together artificial intelligence research with practical, real-world applications. A sudden cardiac arrest is when your heart stops pumping blood. It can happen to people who may look healthy, including children. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of WFYI News Now was produced by Darian Benson, Abriana Herron, Drew Daudelin and Kendall Antron with support from Sarah Neal-Estes.

Pygmies, Lead Poisoning and Letters from Prison, it's a Podcast from the Patio. Thank You Patreon Subscribers. We could not do this without your ongoing support. Recorded May 21st, 2023 on the patio in Bisbee, AZ with Doug Stanhope, Chad Shank, Kristin Levine, Gary Lucy, Derrick, Alex Hodgins and Bingo. Produced Alex Hodgins. Edited by Alex Hodgins and Ggreg Chaille. Signed copies of "This Is Not Fame" available while supplies last at Stanhope Store - http://www.dougstanhope.com/store/ We have no idea what the future holds so get on the Mailing List at https://www.dougstanhope.com/. When we know, we'll let you know. Closing song, “The Stanhope Rag”, written and performed by Scotty Conant for Doug Stanhope and used with permission – Available on Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/scottyconant Support the podcast at patreon.com/stanhopepodcast Photo by Alex HodginsSupport the show: http://www.Patreon.com/stanhopepodcast

Are you seeing the headlines about lead poisoning? Maybe you've heard that water bottles contain lead, or that cinnamon in applesauce was poisoning shoppers. Host Faith Salie talked with Dr. Adam Blumenberg to discuss the crucial context for news about lead poisoning. A toxicologist and doctor of emergency medicine, Dr. Blumenberg explains what lead is, what makes it poisonous, and how exposure might happen in our daily lives—and of course, what to do about it.

Welcome to the HeadKanon! Tae, Jordan & Bryan discuss various topics revolving pop culture acrossIt's a good time. Get in here.Gaming industry layoffs are really rough right now, our condolences to caught in one of those. It's a shame that after such a successful year, we're running into such a big period of workforces being discarded the way they are.►Follow HeadKanon:https://campsite.to/headkanon►Personal Pages:■ Tae:- https://campsite.bio/taeinfinite■ Jordan:- https://www.twitch.tv/cybercalamity- https://twitter.com/Cyber_Calamity■ Bryan:- https://twitter.com/BryanArchilla- https://www.twitch.tv/bryanbrowny

If you don't have a Stanley cup, you've definitely seen them online. They're all the rage for everyone from pre-teens to housewives. But the brand recently came under fire in a heated debate over lead exposure. Not only has Stanley been caught in a social media outrage, it's also attracted a class action lawsuit out of California. I recently made a reel addressing my thoughts on the subject and quickly took it down because the response was so contentious. Look, lead poisoning is no joke. But in my opinion, the outrage is misplaced.  I'm laying out the facts of the case against Stanley cups and why I'm keeping my Stanley cup. While I understand people's concern, I really urge people to do their own research and come to their own conclusions when they see online outrage. I'm breaking down the case and why this blew up online. But more importantly, we're going to explore the biggest factors that increase your risk of lead exposure.  And I promise you, it has more to do with the water itself than the container you put the water in. We're celebrating the strides made since the 70s, when lead exposure ran rampant. But it's still an ongoing battle, so let's arm ourselves with the tools needed to avoid this persistent toxin. I'll share why no amount of lead is considered safe, the cognitive consequences of exposure and with practical tips on water filtration and high risk foods, you'll know how to limit your lead exposure.head on over to www.detoxyourpits.com and use discount code WENDYKATHRYN at checkout for 10% off! If you enjoyed this weeks' episode, please: Leave a a positive review or rating wherever you listen Shop toxin free products on my Toxin Free Shopping Guide Download your free Tossing the Toxins Guide Post a screenshot and what you loved and and tag me on instagram @wendy_toxinfreeish Want to ask me a question to get answered on the podcast? Leave me a voice message here.

After Tamara's children were acutely lead poisoned by the work of a painting contractor in 2005, she made it her life's work to educate about lead poisoning and consumer goods safety specifically through a scientific approach. Tamara not only details the how and why, but gives us actionable steps to take. Lead exposure affects us all, you do not want to miss this incredibly important episode. Tamara is internationally recognized and has personally helped more than 10,000 families create safer homes and environments for their children. She continues to help families through consultations in addition to her extensive edcuational material through Lead Safe Mama. To learn more about lead-poisoning prevention and read Tamara's extensive test on everyday products including suggested lead-free products, visit ⁠www.leadsafemama.com.⁠ ⁠Watch ⁠Tamara's documentary, MisLEAD: America's Secret Epidemic

What do the 1970s crime wave, the endangerment of the California condor, and Gen Xers demanding to speak to the manager have in common? There's a compelling case that all are exacerbated by lead exposure. This week How We Got Here unpacks the long and sordid story of how lead found its way into gasoline…and the organs of many Americans. But gas is just the tip of the iceberg—we still see lead in consumer products today, from drinking water to baby food to Stanley Cups. Why do we still use this poisonous metal? What does it do to our brains? And who does it impact the most? Hysteria's Erin Ryan and Offline's Max Fisher unpack what lead us to this point.

Live Nursing Review with Regina MSN, RN! Every Monday & Wednesday we are live. LIKE, FOLLOW, & SUB @ReMarNurse for more.     Quick Facts for NCLEX Next Gen Study Guide here - https://bit.ly/QF-NGN Study with Professor Regina MSN, RN every Monday as you prepare for NCLEX Next Gen.   ► Create Free V2 Account - http://www.ReMarNurse.com ► Get Quick Facts Next Gen - https://bit.ly/QF-NGN ► Subscribe Now - http://bit.ly/ReMar-Subscription ► GET THE PODCAST: https://remarnurse.podbean.com/ ► WATCH LESSONS: http://bit.ly/ReMarNCLEXLectures/ ► FOLLOW ReMar on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ReMarNurse/ ► LIKE ReMar on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReMarReview/   ReMar Review features weekly NCLEX review questions and lectures from Regina M. Callion MSN, RN. ReMar is the #1 content-based NCLEX review and has helped thousands of repeat testers pass NCLEX with a 99.2% student success rate! ReMar focuses on 100% core nursing content and as a result, has the best review to help nursing students to pass boards - fast!

Lead is one of the most poisonous things going. A single sugar sachet of lead, spread over a park the size of an American football field, is enough to give a child that regularly plays there lead poisoning. For life they'll be condemned to a ~3-point-lower IQ; a 50% higher risk of heart attacks; and elevated risk of kidney disease, anaemia, and ADHD, among other effects.We've known lead is a health nightmare for at least 50 years, and that got lead out of car fuel everywhere. So is the situation under control? Not even close.Around half the kids in poor and middle-income countries have blood lead levels above 5 micrograms per decilitre; the US declared a national emergency when just 5% of the children in Flint, Michigan exceeded that level. The collective damage this is doing to children's intellectual potential, health, and life expectancy is vast — the health damage involved is around that caused by malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV combined.This week's guest, Lucia Coulter — cofounder of the incredibly successful Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) — speaks about how LEEP has been reducing childhood lead exposure in poor countries by getting bans on lead in paint enforced.Links to learn more, summary, and full transcript.Various estimates suggest the work is absurdly cost effective. LEEP is in expectation preventing kids from getting lead poisoning for under $2 per child (explore the analysis here). Or, looking at it differently, LEEP is saving a year of healthy life for $14, and in the long run is increasing people's lifetime income anywhere from $300–1,200 for each $1 it spends, by preventing intellectual stunting.Which raises the question: why hasn't this happened already? How is lead still in paint in most poor countries, even when that's oftentimes already illegal? And how is LEEP able to get bans on leaded paint enforced in a country while spending barely tens of thousands of dollars? When leaded paint is gone, what should they target next?With host Robert Wiblin, Lucia answers all those questions and more:Why LEEP isn't fully funded, and what it would do with extra money (you can donate here).How bad lead poisoning is in rich countries.Why lead is still in aeroplane fuel.How lead got put straight in food in Bangladesh, and a handful of people got it removed.Why the enormous damage done by lead mostly goes unnoticed.The other major sources of lead exposure aside from paint.Lucia's story of founding a highly effective nonprofit, despite having no prior entrepreneurship experience, through Charity Entrepreneurship's Incubation Program.Why Lucia pledges 10% of her income to cost-effective charities.Lucia's take on why GiveWell didn't support LEEP earlier on.How the invention of cheap, accessible lead testing for blood and consumer products would be a game changer.Generalisable lessons LEEP has learned from coordinating with governments in poor countries.And plenty more.Producer and editor: Keiran HarrisAudio Engineering Lead: Ben CordellTechnical editing: Milo McGuire and Dominic ArmstrongTranscriptions: Katy Moore

#389: Today's episode is a little different - there's not a lot of breaking news in the infant feeding world. But if you have been following the news perhaps you've heard about the applesauce pouch lead contamination story. I'm recording this on November 29, 2023 at which point now 52 children have reported to have high levels of lead in their blood potentially linked to consuming cinnamon applesauce pouches made in Ecuador that were sold across the U.S. There's a strong scientific consensus that there is no safe amount of lead, particularly for babies and young children who are especially vulnerable to the neurotoxin. Lead exposure has been linked to various behavior and developmental problems, lowered IQ, and more CDC funds states and cities to conduct routine lead blood-screening for young children. The North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services first noticed four children with high lead levels, and over the course of several weeks they, along with state ag officials, ultimately linked it to the pouches. 

Robin and Adam proudly present Episode 280 of Scary(ish)! Robin tells us about thousand year old viruses being discovered in melting ice while Adam details the horrific reality and terrifying history of lead poisoning. Listen, Share, Subscribe, and Review!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4129953/advertisement