About The Study: A longitudinal analysis of 42,000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants and meta-analysis found higher bone lead levels associated with significantly increased cardiovascular disease mortality risk. Globally in 2023, 3.5 million deaths and 71.6 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were attributable to lead exposure, accounting for 5.8% of all deaths and 2.6% of all DALYs. Strengthened surveillance, regulation, and remediation are urgently required to reduce the lead-attributable burden.
Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jeffrey D. Stanaway, MPH, PhD, email stanaway@uw.edu .
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(doi:10.1001/jama.2026.2197)
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