Leaded gasoline didn't just pollute the air-it may have led to 150 million mental health disorders

The study suggests that anyone born before 1996 was almost certainly exposed to harmful levels of lead as a child, leading to cognitive impairments.

Lead is toxic to almost every organ system we've studied...it's uniquely harmful to the brain-especially the young brain,

With the introduction of leaded gasoline, millions of American cars began spewing a neurotoxin from their exhaust pipes, affecting air, soil, and water.

Childhood lead exposure has been linked to a drop in intelligence, with previous estimates stating it accounts for an 800-million-point decline in collective American IQ.

Read at Fast Company