A new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry has calculated that millions of Americans are dealing with mental disorders attributable to childhood lead exposure—through exhaust from cars fueled with leaded gasoline.
Researchers found that those who were born between 1966 and 1986—Generation X— were the most lead-exposed, as they were children during the peak of leaded-gasoline’s usage. They also experienced the largest increase in mental illness symptoms, according to the study.
