Hair Mineral Content as a Predictor of Mental Retardation

Recent research has discovered childhood mental retardation is related to the presence in the body of above-normal levels of certain mineral elements, especially lead and cadmium. This study investigated the relationships between mineral elements and mild and borderline mental retardation and determined which minerals, if any, separated a group of mentally retarded children from a nonretarded control group. The retarded group had significantly raised hair-lead and hair-cadmium concentrations. There were also differences in the mean levels of seven other minerals. Discriminant function analysis revealed that by using lead, magnesium, cadmium, selenium, cobalt, molybdenum, sodium, and zinc, subjects could be correctly classified as nonretarded or retarded with 83.1 percent and 1. Assistant Professor Area of Special Education, Box 3374 The University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 2. Associate Professor Department of Educational Foundations The University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 3. Director, Doctor's Data Laboratories Inc. W. Chicago, IL 60185 4. Professor Area of Special Education The University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 75.0 percent accuracy respectively. It is concluded that continuing research is needed to study the relationship between mineral element patterns and childhood mental retardation. Certain mineral elements, particularly lead, have been demonstrated to be tetragenic and are currently under suspicion as an etiologic agent in learning and behavioral problems. Minerals comprise five percent of the molecular composition of our bodies and serve a wide range of functions. They may be crucial for the functioning of the central nervous system or unwanted and toxic. Additionally, there are many minerals of hypothesized yet undemonstrated value or detriment. In spite of the significance of mineral elements to neurobehavioral development, with the possible exception of lead, the relative paucity of research dealing with the effects of element levels on cognitive functions is noteworthy. Certain recent studies suggest a significant role for the minerals lead and cadmium in mental retardation (Needleman, Gunnoe, Leviton, Reed, Peresie, Maher and Barrett, 1979; Perino and Ernhart, 1974; Wunderlich, Cameron and Loop, 1980). While the neurological consequences of high dosages of lead and cadmium are well known, the studies