Herbert Needleman
Encyclopedia
Herbert Needleman, MD, known for research studies on the neurodevelopmental damage caused by lead poisoning
, is a pediatrician, child psychiatrist
, researcher and professor at the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center, an elected member of the Institute of Medicine
, and the founder of the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning (now known as the Alliance for Healthy Homes). Dr. Needleman played a key role in securing some of the most significant environmental health protections achieved during the 20th century, which resulted in a fivefold reduction in the prevalence of lead poisoning
among children in the United States
by the early 1990s. Despite engendering strong resistance from related industries, which made him the target of frequent attacks, Needleman persisted in campaigning to educate stakeholders, including parents and government panels, about the dangers of lead poisoning. Needleman has been credited with having played the key role in triggering environmental safety measures that have reduced average blood lead levels by an estimated 78 percent between 1976 and 1991.
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
, and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1952. He trained in Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and served as Chief Resident, he completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology and Rheumatic Fever through the National Institutes of Health. After Practicing family Pediatrics in Philadelphia and Neonatology at Pennsylvania Hospital
, Dr. Needleman completed a residency in psychiatry
at Temple University
Health Sciences Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. From 1971 to 1980, he was an assistant professor of psychiatry at Temple University and at Harvard University
Medical School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
from 1980 to 1981, Since 1981, he has been a professor of child psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
that yielded strong evidence that lead, even at very low levels, can affect a child's IQ
. By measuring levels of lead in children’s teeth, Needleman provided the first evidence that low level lead exposure not only reduces IQs, but also shortens attention spans and delays acquisition of language proficiency. In studies that followed, he determined that lead poisoning had long term implications for a child's attentiveness, behavior, and academic success.
In 1979, Needleman began the first large scale study of intelligence and behavior in children with no outward signs of lead poisoning. His research showed that lead exposure is associated with increased risk for failure to graduate from high school and for reading disabilities. His research involved testing the concentration of lead in bones of 194 juveniles, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, who had been convicted in the Allegheny County
Juvenile Court, and 146 students in regular high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
who did not have behavioral problems. In 1996, findings from the research, reporting on the physical and behavioral problems caused by leaded gasoline and lead paint while linking lead exposure to anti-social behavior, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
. The study found delinquent children were four times more likely to have elevated concentrations of lead in their bones. According to Needleman, "Lead is a brain poison that interferes with the ability to restrain impulses. It's a life experience which gets into biology and increases a child's risk for doing bad things."
After extensive scientific review, Needleman's findings were instrumental in convincing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to issue guidelines for the diagnosis and management of lead poisoning in children, in goading the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to mandate the removal of lead from gasoline
and inducing the Consumer Product Safety Commission
to ban lead from interior paints. Needleman's research also helped cause the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to remove lead from thousands of housing units across the US.
Needleman designed the first forward study of lead exposure during gestation
, and showed that such exposure is associated with cognitive
deficits later in life. His most recent research has shown that boys with high levels of lead concentrated in their bones are more likely to develop aggressive or delinquent behavior, such as bullying, vandalism
and shoplifting
.
offer advice for parents and physicians on how to evaluate and minimize toxic exposure risks, which include lead, asbestos
, pesticide
s, and other toxins. They also address practical means for ensuring community compliance with existing laws
, was composed of medical personnel, scientists, clergymen, and citizens concerned about American involvement. In its efforts to assist injured Vietnamese children shelters were set up in Berkeley, California
and Boston, Massachusetts, both called Vietnam House, and another in Saigon, where paraplegic children could be cared for and rehabilitated in their own country.
In 1990 a Superfund
(industrial pollution clean up case) was brought against the owners of a defunct lead mill in Utah where houses had been built on the land where the tailings had been deposited. The state hired Needleman as an expert witness and the corporations in their defence turned to Ernhart and psychologist Sandra W Scarr from the University of Virginia. Ernhart and Scarr gained access to the raw data for a day and a half and decided that the statistical analysis of the data was selective and misleading, and they charged Needleman through the National Institute of Health with scientific misconduct
.
Needleman reports that the case against him was made by law firm from Philadelphia who refused to name the company who was paying them. Against the wishes of his university, he fought to have his case held in public and was eventually exonerated.
When MacArthur Fellow
Joel Schwartz
reanalysed the data to take account of any flaws, it didn't change the outcome. In fact, Needleman's research has been superseded by newer research that has resulted in even lower limits. The conclusions about the health implications of lead are evolving, partly as a result of the recent removal of lead from gasoline that used to be a cause of a broad background level.
The first scientific studies award of the academy of Association For Children With Learning Disabilities.
The Sarah Poiley Medal Of the New York Academy of Sciences
.
The Charles Dana Award For Pioneering Achievement In Public Health.
The National Wildlife Federation
Conservation Science Award.
The University of Pittsburgh
Chancellor's Award For Public Service.
The 2nd Annual Heinz Award
in the Environment.
The Physician's Forum Edward K. Barsky Award.
The Society For Occupational And Environmental Health Vernon Houk Award.
Muhlenberg College's Shankweiler Award.
The University of Pennsylvania's Distinguished Graduate Award.
The Prince Mahidol Award Of Thailand
.
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
, is a pediatrician, child psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, researcher and professor at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Medical Center, an elected member of the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
, and the founder of the Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning (now known as the Alliance for Healthy Homes). Dr. Needleman played a key role in securing some of the most significant environmental health protections achieved during the 20th century, which resulted in a fivefold reduction in the prevalence of lead poisoning
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
among children in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the early 1990s. Despite engendering strong resistance from related industries, which made him the target of frequent attacks, Needleman persisted in campaigning to educate stakeholders, including parents and government panels, about the dangers of lead poisoning. Needleman has been credited with having played the key role in triggering environmental safety measures that have reduced average blood lead levels by an estimated 78 percent between 1976 and 1991.
Education and faculty appointments
Needleman earned his BS from Muhlenberg CollegeMuhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1952. He trained in Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and served as Chief Resident, he completed a fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology and Rheumatic Fever through the National Institutes of Health. After Practicing family Pediatrics in Philadelphia and Neonatology at Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital
Pennsylvania Hospital is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System . Founded on May 11, 1751 by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, it was the first hospital in the United States...
, Dr. Needleman completed a residency in psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Health Sciences Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. From 1971 to 1980, he was an assistant professor of psychiatry at Temple University and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Medical School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
from 1980 to 1981, Since 1981, he has been a professor of child psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Lead poisoning research
In the 1970s, Needleman conducted a study at Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
that yielded strong evidence that lead, even at very low levels, can affect a child's IQ
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
. By measuring levels of lead in children’s teeth, Needleman provided the first evidence that low level lead exposure not only reduces IQs, but also shortens attention spans and delays acquisition of language proficiency. In studies that followed, he determined that lead poisoning had long term implications for a child's attentiveness, behavior, and academic success.
In 1979, Needleman began the first large scale study of intelligence and behavior in children with no outward signs of lead poisoning. His research showed that lead exposure is associated with increased risk for failure to graduate from high school and for reading disabilities. His research involved testing the concentration of lead in bones of 194 juveniles, between the ages of twelve and eighteen, who had been convicted in the Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
Juvenile Court, and 146 students in regular high schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
who did not have behavioral problems. In 1996, findings from the research, reporting on the physical and behavioral problems caused by leaded gasoline and lead paint while linking lead exposure to anti-social behavior, were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
Journal of the American Medical Association
The Journal of the American Medical Association is a weekly, peer-reviewed, medical journal, published by the American Medical Association. Beginning in July 2011, the editor in chief will be Howard C. Bauchner, vice chairman of pediatrics at Boston University’s School of Medicine, replacing ...
. The study found delinquent children were four times more likely to have elevated concentrations of lead in their bones. According to Needleman, "Lead is a brain poison that interferes with the ability to restrain impulses. It's a life experience which gets into biology and increases a child's risk for doing bad things."
After extensive scientific review, Needleman's findings were instrumental in convincing the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to issue guidelines for the diagnosis and management of lead poisoning in children, in goading the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) to mandate the removal of lead from gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and inducing the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created in 1972 through the Consumer Product Safety Act to protect "against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products." The CPSC is an independent agency that does...
to ban lead from interior paints. Needleman's research also helped cause the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to remove lead from thousands of housing units across the US.
Needleman designed the first forward study of lead exposure during gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
, and showed that such exposure is associated with cognitive
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
deficits later in life. His most recent research has shown that boys with high levels of lead concentrated in their bones are more likely to develop aggressive or delinquent behavior, such as bullying, vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
and shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
.
Raising Children Toxic Free
In their book, Raising Children Toxic Free: How to Keep Your Child Safe from Lead, Asbestos, Pesticides, and Other Environmental Hazards (1996), Needleman and Philip J. LandriganPhilip J. Landrigan
Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., M.Sc., is an American epidemiologist and pediatrician and one of the world's leading advocates of children's health....
offer advice for parents and physicians on how to evaluate and minimize toxic exposure risks, which include lead, asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
, pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s, and other toxins. They also address practical means for ensuring community compliance with existing laws
Committee of Responsibility
While an associate professor at Temple University's School of Medicine, Needleman was the chairman of the Committee of Responsibility (COR), throughout its existence between 1966 and 1974.http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/peace/DG151-175/DG173COR.html COR, which sought to help civilians injured in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, was composed of medical personnel, scientists, clergymen, and citizens concerned about American involvement. In its efforts to assist injured Vietnamese children shelters were set up in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and Boston, Massachusetts, both called Vietnam House, and another in Saigon, where paraplegic children could be cared for and rehabilitated in their own country.
Disproven allegations of scientific misconduct
Needleman's scientific methodology had long been challenged by Dr. Claire Ernhart. In 1983 when the EPA was reviewing its air quality standards, it rejected the results of both Needleman's and Ernhart's scientific work on the subject. Needleman challenged this criticism and the EPA reversed its position, and adopted his conclusions in 1986.In 1990 a Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
(industrial pollution clean up case) was brought against the owners of a defunct lead mill in Utah where houses had been built on the land where the tailings had been deposited. The state hired Needleman as an expert witness and the corporations in their defence turned to Ernhart and psychologist Sandra W Scarr from the University of Virginia. Ernhart and Scarr gained access to the raw data for a day and a half and decided that the statistical analysis of the data was selective and misleading, and they charged Needleman through the National Institute of Health with scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research. A Lancet review on Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries provides the following sample definitions: *Danish definition: "Intention or...
.
Needleman reports that the case against him was made by law firm from Philadelphia who refused to name the company who was paying them. Against the wishes of his university, he fought to have his case held in public and was eventually exonerated.
When MacArthur Fellow
MacArthur Fellows Program
The MacArthur Fellows Program or MacArthur Fellowship is an award given by the John D. and Catherine T...
Joel Schwartz
Joel Schwartz
Joel Schwartz is an American epidemiologist, and Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, at Harvard University, School of Public Health.He graduated from Brandeis University with a Ph.D...
reanalysed the data to take account of any flaws, it didn't change the outcome. In fact, Needleman's research has been superseded by newer research that has resulted in even lower limits. The conclusions about the health implications of lead are evolving, partly as a result of the recent removal of lead from gasoline that used to be a cause of a broad background level.
Recognition
For his research he has been honored with the following awards(among others):The first scientific studies award of the academy of Association For Children With Learning Disabilities.
The Sarah Poiley Medal Of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
.
The Charles Dana Award For Pioneering Achievement In Public Health.
The National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over four million members and supporters, and 48 state and territorial affiliated organizations...
Conservation Science Award.
The University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Chancellor's Award For Public Service.
The 2nd Annual Heinz Award
Heinz Award
The Heinz Award is an award currently given annually to ten honorees by the Heinz Family Foundation. The Heinz Awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions in the five areas of: Arts and Humanities, the Environment, the Human Condition, Public Policy, and Technology, the Economy...
in the Environment.
The Physician's Forum Edward K. Barsky Award.
The Society For Occupational And Environmental Health Vernon Houk Award.
Muhlenberg College's Shankweiler Award.
The University of Pennsylvania's Distinguished Graduate Award.
The Prince Mahidol Award Of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Publications
- The Case of Deborah Rice: Who Is the Environmental Protection Agency Protecting?, Needleman HL (2008) PLoS Biol 6(5): e129 doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060129
- 1994, Herbert L. Needleman, Philip J. LandriganPhilip J. LandriganPhilip J. Landrigan, M.D., M.Sc., is an American epidemiologist and pediatrician and one of the world's leading advocates of children's health....
, Raising Children Toxic Free: How to Keep Your Child Safe from Lead, Asbestos, Pesticides, and Other Environmental Hazards, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Gordonsville, Virginia, ISBN 0-374-24643-2 - 1994, Herbert L. Needleman, David C. Bellinger, Prenatal Exposure to Toxicants: Developmental Consequences, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
- 1991, Herbert L. Needleman (editor), Human Lead Exposure CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, ISBN 0-8493-6034-X
- 1980, Herbert L. Needleman, Low level lead exposure: The clinical implications of current research, ISBN 0-89004-455-4
- Childhood lead poisoning: The promise and abandonment of primary prevention
External links
- Brown.edu - 'Legacy of Lead Poisoning Detailed at Annual Barnes Lecture', Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
(April 21, 2006) - FindArticles.com - 'The difficult quest of Herbert Needleman', Thomas A. Lewis, National Wildlife (April-May, 1995)
- HealthCentral.com - 'Take a Bite Out of Crime: Get the Lead Out: Study finds juvenile delinquents have more of the heavy metal in their bones', Jennifer Thomas, HealthDayNews (January 6, 2003)