Two Florida State University sociology professors, Michael McFarland and Mathew Hauer, are part of a research group that led a groundbreaking and widely-covered study on the negative effects of lead in gasoline that resulted in millions of psychiatric disorders over the past 75 years.
Published on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, the two FSU professors joined members from Duke University and the Medical University of South Carolina in the expansive study. The results were eye-opening – as many as 151 million cases of mental health disorder have occurred over the past 75 years.
Since being published, the study has been covered by nearly 230 media outlets and affiliates and has gained an audience reach of 1.62 billion people worldwide. Some of the largest outlets disseminating the story include NBC News, Newsweek, USA Today, Fortune and many more.
A key data point is that leaded gas was banned in the United States in 1996. The study adds emphasis to those born before 1996, including the 1960s and 1970s when leaded gas was at peak use, being at risk for toxic brain effects from car exhaust.
The study notes that Americans born before leaded gas was banned have experienced higher rates of mental health issues. The researchers analyzed historical data on blood-lead levels in U.S. children, patterns of leaded gasoline use in America and population statistics of mental health problems.
Among the most significant points made is more than half of the current U.S. population was exposed to adverse levels of lead, a neurotoxicant, in childhood.
McFarland is an associate professor of sociology with areas of interest in health disparities, biodemography and mental health. His research agenda focuses on understanding racial and socioeconomic disparities in mental and physical health with a special focus on poverty exposure and educational attainment.
Hauer is the Charles B. Nam Professorship in the Sociology of Population and an associate professor of sociology. His areas of interest include demography, climate change, population projections, environmental sociology and spatial analysis. Hauer studies the impacts of climate change on society.
The FSU Department of Sociology was established in 1918. The program’s instructional excellence and departmental collegiality are among its trademarks. Guided by award-winning faculty and among the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s top programs, the department of sociology emphasizes collaborative research that continues a long tradition of academic excellence from its graduate and undergraduate students.
To learn more, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/sociology.