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Matthew Butkowski, Greg Fehmer

Mr. Acre

AP Calculus

9 February 2018

Lead and Education in Detroit

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

education in Detroit are due to lead poisoning.

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

include contaminated air, water and soil (“Learn about Lead”).

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

years of childhood, resulting in a reduction of bilateral coordination, visual-motor control, and

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

other social circumstance.

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

in the blood, the lower the academic scores.” (Thomas).

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. Lead in the Body for 800 Days

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

or may only do so very slowly.

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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

peeling paint or breathing in lead dust from the air.

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

this disease can be beaten.

Works Cited

Burns, Martha. “Effects of Lead Poisoning on Our Children's Brains.” Scientific Learning,
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Scientific Learning Corporation, 5 Apr. 2016, www.scilearn.com/blog/effects-lead-

poisoning-on-brain-function.

Cwiek, Sarah. “UM study links lower MEAP scores with lead exposure.” Michigan Radio,

Michigan Radio, 25 Feb. 2013, michiganradio.org/post/um-study-links-lower-meap-

scores-lead-exposure.

“Lead poisoning.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation, 6 Dec. 2016,

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-

20354717.

“Learn about Lead.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 26 May 2017,

www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead.

Oosting, Jonathan. “Study: Unusually-High levels of lead poisoning linked to poor test scores in

Detroit schools.” MLive, MLive Media Group, 17 May 2010,

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.”

University of Michigan News, University of Michigan Regents, 25 Feb. 2013,

www.ns.umich.edu/new/releases/21235-lead-exposure-negatively-impacts-meap-scores-

of-detroit-schoolchildren.