Economist Expert Opines on Relationship Between Lead Poisoning and Loss of Earning Potential

Case Overview

This case involves lead poisoning in young children who were raised in buildings that were not kept up to code. After living in the buildings located in Mississippi for some time, the children began to display developmental delays, problems with learning, and other subclinical effects on the central nervous system. Some parents who lived in the apartment also reported complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, clumsiness, and agitation. It is alleged that these families were exposed to a high level of environmental lead while living in the apartment building, which was the direct cause of their neurological systems.

Questions to the Pediatrics expert and their responses

Can you speak to the cognitive impairment associated with lead poisoning as measured by IQ tests?

The validity of cognitive testing in alleged lead poisoning cases can be challenged via various avenues. For one, it may be illustrative to view this by examining the educational status of the patient’s parents and siblings. Additionally, it may be helpful to determine whether or not other issues, such as genetic defects, or complications associated with birth or pregnancy, have contributed to the patient’s present developmental and cognitive status. Of course, environmental lead contamination can produce profound neurological effects, which can sometimes be difficult to isolate from other factors. It would be useful to have some sort of toxicology data to assist here.

About the expert

This neurologist has 25+ years of experience in the field of neurology. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and his doctorate from Tufts University in Boston; his postgraduate training was undertaken at Columbia University. He is a member of the Society for Neurooncology and one of the country's leading authorities on neurofibromatosis.