Nail biting ‘damages IQ’

Children who bite their fingernails may be damaging their IQ and are at greater risk of lead poisoning, a study suggests. Researchers in Russia say this is because lead can gather under their nails simply by playing in dusty conditions, both indoors and outdoors, Health News reported. It has long been known that exposure to lead may contribute to developmental problems in some children. Previous studies have suggested it may also damage the nervous system. Lead is found naturally in soil and dust. As a result, it is sometimes consumed via fruit or vegetables that have not been washed properly. Many men, such as plumbers, painters and printers, are exposed to lead at work. But scientists at the Ural Regional Centre for Environmental Epidemiology in Ekaterinburg, believe that biting finger nails may explain why some children also show high levels of the chemical. They assessed children living in a number of cities in the Urals. They found that as many as two out of three children in some areas had worryingly high levels of lead. Levels varied depending on whether the children lived in homes that overlooked busy roads or if they had a habit of eating soil, snow or paint. But they also found a link between high levels of lead and children who regularly bit their nails. They found more than 69 per cent of girls and 62 per cent of boys involved in the study bit their nails or other objects like pencils. All of the children involved in the study lived in highly industrialised cities with high levels of lead. — APP