Dr. Herbert Needleman, Who Saw Lead's Wider Harm to Children, Dies at 89
Source: New York Times
Dr. Herbert Needleman, Who Saw Leads Wider Harm to Children, Dies at 89
By BENEDICT CAREY JULY 27, 2017
Dr. Herbert Needleman, whose studies of children exposed to low levels of lead prompted regulations that limited or banned the metal in a range of common products, like gasoline and paint, and set a standard for the modern study of environmental toxins, died on July 18 in Pittsburgh. He was 89.
His son, Dr. Joshua Needleman, said the cause was lung failure resulting from edema, an excess of fluid.
Dr. Needleman was working at a community psychiatric clinic in North Philadelphia after medical school when he met a young man who would become a touchstone for a crusading career. The boy approached Dr. Needleman and explained his ambitions, which were large, even as the boy struggled with words. He was bright and open; nonetheless he had deficits that struck Dr. Needleman as similar to those found in children with lead poisoning.
I thought, how many of these kids who are coming to the clinic are in fact a missed case of lead poisoning? he said in a later interview. His clinic office overlooked a school playground; the view gave him an idea.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/herbert-needleman-dead-lead-poisoning-in-children.html