Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mr. Acre
AP Calculus
9 February 2018
Students from Detroit Public Schools consistently score among the lowest on the MEAP
test in Michigan. In 2009 they even were ranked last in the United States on the National
Assessment for Educational Progress math test. This poor performance is due to a number of
reasons, the most prominent being lead poisoning. Lead exposure, especially to children, causes
detrimental effects of the brain and the ability to learn. Because of this, low test scores and poor
Lead is a naturally occurring metal found within the Earth’s crust. Human activity, such
as mining, industry, and burning fossil fuels, has made it more widespread. Most notably, lead
was once used in paint and gasoline, exposing it to a great number of children. Lead-based paints
have been banned in the United States since 1978 for use in homes, furniture, and toys. Despite
this, lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust is still found in many older homes and
apartments. This is the most common sources of lead poisoning in children. Some other sources
Various studies have shown and proven that increase in lead exposure has decreased
effects on educational and academic achievements among children. But to understand why this
happens, one must first understand the effects that lead has on the brain and its functions. Lead
is, of course, poisonous to many parts of the body, particularly the heart, blood vessels, kidney,
and brain. “Essentially, lead blocks brain receptors important to plasticity - the brain's capacity to
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change through experience. Blockage of these receptors interferes with the brain's ability to
permanently take in and store new information - to learn.” (Burns). Of course, if one is unable to
learn or take in necessary information, how can one be expected to recall this information on a
test or in any situation that the information is required. It is easy to see then, why an increase in
lead exposure is directly linked to lower academic achievement in schools, particularly in the
Detroit area and those surrounding it with the current water crises.
The primary functions of the brain that are affected due to lead poisoning include
attention, executive functions, visual-spatial skills, speech and language impairments, and motor
skills. Lead exposure has been noted to affect a person’s attention drastically, increasing
distractibility, impulsivity, and leading to a higher risk of ADHD. Executive functions, such as
organizational skills, self control, and working memory have also been noted to be especially
vulnerable to lead exposure. In children, lead exposure to the blood can also lead directly to an
atypical reorganization of language function by the brain, and can cause significant deficits in
hearing and auditory processing. Finally, lead exposure can affect one’s motor skills in early
upper limb dexterity and speed. While it is highly unlikely one would develop every one of these
disabilities through lead exposure, it is clear to see the variety of effects lead exposure has, and
how each of them may result in an overall poorer performance in an academic environment or
But just how badly does lead affect academic achievement? A recent study of Detroit
Public Schools (DPS) conducted by the University of Michigan, examining the effects of lead
exposure on academic achievement, found that as little as 2 to 5 micrograms per deciliter in their
blood have a 33% chance of scoring lower on academic achievement tests. The study also found
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that those above 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in their blood (which is equal to the level of
concern set out by the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention) have an even higher
likelihood of doing poorly on tests such as the MEAP, these chances being closer to 50%.
Professor Michael Elliott, a Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan recalls that it
has long been known that higher levels of lead in the blood have a drastic effect of cognitive
function. Elliott says, “But to see this actually played out in test scores, and at some fairly low
levels of lead exposure…was quite surprising, and quite distressing from a public health
perspective.” (Cwiek).
Dr. Cynthia Aaron, the medical director at the Regional Poison Center at the Children’s
Hospital of Michigan, deals with the effects that lead has on children’s cognitive function every
day. Working with students of up to 40 micrograms per deciliter in their blood each day, it is
easy to see why she was not surprised by the results of the DPS study (though she did not partake
in it). Aaron cites the problem in Detroit as a pervasive and multifactorial issue. However, the
DPS study did make an effort to eliminate such factors, such as race and socioeconomic status,
yet the link between blood lead levels and academic performance remained quite strong. “We
can clearly see a dose-response relationship,” says Nanhua Zhang, currently at the Department of
Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Florida, but who conducted the
research as a doctoral candidate at the U-M School of Public Health. “The higher the lead level
It is very difficult for lead to completely leave the body once it is inside. This can be
shown with Euler’s Method. Euler's method uses recursion to estimate the values of differential
equations. If the body is treated as a closed in which lead enters the body, is transferred between
bodily compartments, and exits the body, the lead levels can be modeled using Euler’s method.
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A 1973 study found that the average rate of lead ingestion in Los Angeles is 49.3 micrograms
(µg) per day, so for Euler’s method it will be assumed that the daily lead ingestion is a constant
49.3 µg (Smith).
Figure 1 shows the amount of lead in different parts of the body after 800 days of
constant lead absorption using Euler’s method. In the blood and tissue, the rate at which lead
enters and leaves eventually reaches equilibrium and levels off. In the bones, however, the lead
level continues to increase with no sign of slowing down. If lead absorption were to be stopped,
lead would likely leave the blood and tissue after some time. In the bones, the lead may not leave
Figure 2. Lead in the Body for 800 Days, Lead-Free After 400 Days
Figure 2 shows the amount of lead in different parts of the body after 400 days of
constant lead absorption and 400 days in a lead-free environment using Euler’s method. In the
lead-free environment, the lead levels of the blood and tissue have fallen to near zero.. The lead
level of the bones levels off and starts slowly decreasing. This shows that it is possible for lead to
leave the body. However, this takes a very long time, especially for the bones.
There are some arguments that the effect lead has on education in Detroit has been
overstated or is nonexistent. However, once these arguments are examined more closely, it
becomes clear that they do not satisfactorily explain away the influence of lead. Firstly, many
claim that the low test scores in Detroit Public Schools is mainly due to other factors, such as
poverty and the parents’ level of education. While these factors do matter, the DPS study from
the University of Michigan did account for them, and even with them eliminated there was still a
strong link between lead levels and test scores. Another claim is that since lead has been banned
in homes for decades, there should be no way for so many children to ingest lead and become
poisoned. Even though lead in homes has been banned, lead-based paint and lead-contaminated
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dust can still be found in many older homes. Children can ingest lead easily by eating chips of
To sum up, poor academic performance and low test scores in Detroit is due to lead
poisoning. This is because lead has many adverse effects on the brain, especially in children. The
damage of lead poisoning cannot be reversed, and it takes a very long time for lead to naturally
leave the body. Because of this, prevention and early detection is vital to stop further harm.
Communities need to be educated about the dangers of lead and how to lower chances of
exposure. This can be done by testing that there is no lead paint or pipes in their homes. Also,
simple things like washing hands, dusting the house, and using cold water can help prevent lead
exposure. If people know the risks of lead poisoning and work to root out the causes, then in time
Works Cited
Burns, Martha. “Effects of Lead Poisoning on Our Children's Brains.” Scientific Learning,
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poisoning-on-brain-function.
Cwiek, Sarah. “UM study links lower MEAP scores with lead exposure.” Michigan Radio,
scores-lead-exposure.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-
20354717.
www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead.
Oosting, Jonathan. “Study: Unusually-High levels of lead poisoning linked to poor test scores in
www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/05/study_startlingly-high_levels.html.
Smith, David. “Lead in the Body.” Connected Curriculum Project, Duke University, 11 Nov.
2000, services.math.duke.edu//education/ccp/materials/diffeq/bodylead/index.html.
Thomas, Laurel. “Lead exposure negatively impacts MEAP scores of Detroit schoolchildren.”
www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21235-lead-exposure-negatively-impacts-meap-scores-
of-detroit-schoolchildren.