Monumental Decline
New research showed that lead pollution declined by more than 100-fold over the last century.
Context
Lead accumulates in human tissue and causes developmental problems in children. The US established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and began phasing out lead in the 1970s, completely removing it from gasoline for on-road vehicles by 1996.
Dramatic Drop
Last week, researchers at the University of Utah released a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examining hair samples from local residents dating back a century.
