Lead (Pb) exposure is an environmental cause of learning disorders, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the disruption of many cognitive functions. Although Pb affects many cognitive functions and neurocircuits related to substance use disorders (SUDs), and although ADHD is highly comorbid with SUDs, Pb exposure is not a known risk for SUDs. This calls for the investigation of the role of Pb exposure in the development of SUDs. Using publicly available data from health departments, government databases, and Mapping Inequality, a geospatial analysis was conducted of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan. For each city, redlining maps from the Federal Housing Administration were used as base maps. The vibrancy of the redlining color codes was re-coded to adjust for the prevalence (percent of testing population) of elevated blood Pb levels (EBLL; > 5μg/dL). Drug overdoses were plotted over the EBLL-adjusted redlining map with points proportional to total incidents. These three maps serve as qualitative representations of disproportionate Pb exposure among negatively redlined neighborhoods, which increased risk for drug overdose incidents. From the datasets and codes used for the geospatial analysis, odds ratios were calculated to determine the odds for negatively redlined neighborhoods with >10% EBLL to have high rates of overdose incidences. These odds ratios serve as a basic quantitative analysis of these relationships under investigation. Results coming soon. Through this investigation, evidence from the literature review and the geospatial analysis were applied to the Bradford-Hill Criteria for Causality. With most criteria met, there is evidence that supports Pb exposure as an aggravating factor for SUDs. This calls for the investment of holistic, environmental, and community-based interventions as preventative measures for the development of SUDs as opposed to tertiary-level punishable interventions for people with SUDs.
Chloe Thach, Individualized Studies and Neuroscience Major
Advisor(s): Jacqueline Daugherty, Western Program
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