A study published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, indicates that elderly men who have been exposed to high levels of lead are 3.2 times morely likely to develop cataracts than those who have not had similar exposure. Researchers looked at lead levels in the shinbones of a group of men from the Boston area who are over 60 and participating in a long-term study on aging.

Debra Schaumberg, a specialist in preventive health at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, was the lead author of the study. She concludes, 'These data suggest that accumulated lead exposure, such as that commonly experienced by adults in the United States, may be an important, unrecognized risk factor for cataract.'

Cataracts, which cause a clouding of the lens in the eye, are responsible for 40 percent of all cases of blindness throughout the world. The condition, which causes a reduction of the amount of light getting to the retina, affects half of people 80-years-old and older.

Lead may also be responsible for increasing the risk of high blood pressure and mental deterioration. Earlier studies indicate that lead actually gets into the eye lens and decreases the transparency.

Much has been done in the past several decades to reduce the amounts of lead to which people are exposed on a day-to-day basis. But there is still lead in the environment, despite the elimination of lead in paint, gasoline and other sources.