Abstract
In war zones, the explosion of bombs, bullets, and other ammunition releases multiple neurotoxicants into the environment. The Middle East is currently the site of heavy environmental disruption by massive bombardments. A very large number of US military bases, which release highly toxic environmental contaminants, have also been erected since 2003. Current knowledge supports the hypothesis that war-created pollution is a major cause of rising birth defects and cancers in Iraq. We created elemental bio-imaging of trace elements in deciduous teeth of children with birth defects from Iraq. Healthy and naturally shed teeth from Lebanon and Iran were also analyzed for trace elements. Lead (Pb) was highest in teeth from children with birth defects who donated their teeth from Basra, Iraq (mean 0.73–16.74 208Pb/43Ca ppm, n = 3). Pb in healthy Lebanese and Iranian teeth were 0.038–0.382 208Pb/43Ca ppm (n = 4) and 0.041–0.31 208Pb/43Ca ppm (n = 2), respectively. Our hypothesis that increased war activity coincides with increased metal levels in deciduous teeth is confirmed by this research. Lead levels were similar in Lebanese and Iranian deciduous teeth. Deciduous teeth from Iraqi children with birth defects had remarkably higher levels of Pb. Two Iraqi teeth had four times more Pb, and one tooth had as much as 50 times more Pb than samples from Lebanon and Iran.
Highlights
A pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity affects millions of children worldwide (Grandjean and Landrigan 2014)
Quantitative element maps of trace elements in deciduous teeth were created by the single-point calibration LA-ICP-MS method (Hare et al 2011)
Lead was consistently found in enamel and in dentine and in dentine-pulp junction (DPJ)
Summary
A pandemic of developmental neurotoxicity affects millions of children worldwide (Grandjean and Landrigan 2014). Prenatal exposures to industrial chemicals, lead (Pb), are among known causes of this pandemic. Given the seriousness of this global health issue, accurate measurement of prenatal exposures has become a scientific priority. Deciduous teeth originate in fetal life and may prove useful in measuring prenatal metal exposures. The explosion of bombs, bullets, and other ammunition releases multiple neurotoxicants into the environment, adding to the burden of childhood exposures.
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