link to article

Lead could be fueling America’s high blood pressure epidemic

There’s one possible reason so many Americans, especially those living in inner cities, have high blood pressure: lead exposure.

Researchers tested people’s bones for evidence they took in lead over the years. The heavy metal accumulates in bone and stays there for decades as people drink lead-tainted water, breathe in dust carrying lead or get it some other way. But if something causes its release — anything from simple aging to pregnancy or thyroid disease — it can raise blood pressure.

Read the full story.