Ritchie and Chivers on the effect of Lead Exposure on IQ

By David Mathers🔸 @ 2024-06-06T12:28 (+21)

This is a linkpost to https://www.thestudiesshowpod.com/p/episode-37-lead-and-iq

Some EA orgs have backed lead elimination as an intervention: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/fd96FtLFACeAshqJP/introducing-leep-lead-exposure-elimination-project

This new podcast from two science journalists looks at the evidence on how much low-level lead exposure actually damages IQ. I haven't listened to the whole thing, but the seem skeptical of higher estimates of the effect from the literature. I don't know how much, if they are right, this would undermine the case for interventions like Lead Exposure Elimination Project or whether any of the information in the podcast is news to EAs who back lead elimination as a cause area. But I thought it was a good idea to link to it just in case, as I think the source is high quality. (Although, as a disclosure of potential bias, Stuart is an old friend of mine.)

Matt_Lerner @ 2024-06-06T14:29 (+21)

I listened to the whole episode — if I understood correctly, they are mostly skeptical that there are effects at very low blood lead levels. At the end of the podcast, Stuart or Tom (can't remember which) explicitly says that they're not skeptical that lead affects IQ, and they spend most of the episode addressing the claimed relationship at low BLLs (rather than the high ones addressed by LEEP, CGD, other interventions).

David Mathers @ 2024-06-06T14:54 (+6)

Thanks. Yeah, it may not effect the case for LEEP at all if they're only trying to prevent exposure to high amounts. I just thought it was better to link and find out.