Lead on hands. Image captured by: battery.ethic
The famous pianist, Beethoven and the famous Brazilian painter, Candido Portinari shared more in common than their love for art; they also shared their cause of death. Both men died of high concentrations of lead in their blood. In Portinari’s case, he was repeatedly exposed to the lead in his paints whereas the source of plumbism in Beethoven is still a mystery. It is speculated that Queen Elizabeth I also died from blood poisoning. Since she was buried without a post-mortem, it is generally believed that the highly poisonous lead in her white make-up was what hastened her death.
Aside from these famous deaths, over 1,000 cases of lead poisoning were historically reported in Utah mines per year. And despite the fact that the connection between toxic lead and physical and nervous disorders had been established, interior paints of cribs and toys continued to contain lead until the late 1950s. Finally, United States placed a ban on lead paints in 1978. To this day however, old buildings and pipes still contain lead paint.
Clearly, the effect of lead poisoning is not a new discovery…but the method in which it damages the brain is!
Research led by Dr. Guilarte, a professor of neurotoxicology and his colleagues focused on the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, BNDF. This protein’s importance for normal neural development lies in that it encourages the differentiation of new synapses in the hippocampus.
Lead interferes with the function and synthesis of BNDF. (Image Courtesy of: Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health)
After its production, BNDF travels in vesicles along microtubules, which are a platform for intracellular transport, towards axons where this cargo is released into the extracellular matrix. The navigation of these vesicles is controlled by the activation of Huntingtin protein. As soon as a phosphate group is added (phosphorylation) onto the Huntingtin protein, it is activated. Exposure to even small amounts of lead, however, alters the phosphorylation of Huntingtin protein and results in lower concentrations of extracellular BNDF.
“Lead attacks the most fundamental aspect of the brain — the synapse. But by better understanding the numerous and complex ways this happens we will be better able to develop therapies that ameliorate the damage,” says Dr. Guilarte.
Even though all this up-and-coming research about the effects of lead has been publicized, companies still haven’t stopped putting lead in their products. One such product has prevailed from ancient times for men and women alike: lipstick. Lab tests performed by the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that the most contaminated lipstick is Maybelline Color Sensation by L’Oreal USA, which contains 275 times more lead than the least expensive brand Wet & Wild Mega Mixers Lip Balm. Aside from the actual monetary price we pay, is getting poisoned too high a price for looking beautiful? I guess not everyone thinks so.
The video posted below talks more about the elevated levels of lead in lipsticks. (Created by NewsyScience)
Other resources: Articles: In what ways does lead damage the brain?, Lead poisoning, Proof of Beethoven’s death
