Norman E. Borlaug was part of the American Council on Science and Health Board of Directors from 1978 to 2009 (see ACSH staff list in this publication).

Concern over lead poisoning dates back many centuries. Today, the potential effects of exposure to lead continue to receive as much attention as any modern public health risk; lead is often cited as America's leading environmental health concern. Based on a review of the current scientific literature, ACSH concludes: That lead is an important intoxicant that can exert adverse effects, given sufficient exposure and accumulation in the body; that there exist many federal regulatory standars and mandates that serve to minimize or elimintae the amount of lead in consumer products, occupational settings, and the environment; that elimination of lead-based gasoline and the reduction of lead in consumer products (e.g., paints); the home (e.g., plumbing systems); and food-packaging applications (e.g., soldered cans) have, in conjunction with other federal and state programs, served to significantly reduce blood lead levels in the U.S. population over the past decades; that symptomatic childhood lead "poisoning" seen often until the 1970s, has essentially disappeared (such lead poisoning no longer constitutes a widespread public health threat in the U.S.; problems in localized areas continue to exist, however); that trace amounts of lead contained in calcium supplements and other FDA-approved nutritional aids and beneficial foods are not toxicologically significant and do not pose a health risk to humans; that children are more sensitive than adults to the effects of lead and that precautions should be taken to limint childhood exporuse; that targete, rather than universal, screenign is indicated in order to identifiy children and other susceptible individuals with elevated blood lead levels; and that elimination or minimization of exposure to lead can be successfully achieved through adjustments to personal habits, public education, and improvements in living conditions, particularly among certain population groups.

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