The Link Between Lead Exposure And High Blood Pressure In Indianapolis

"Residents of Indianapolis’ Martindale Brightwood neighborhood are confronting stubbornly high rates of hypertension, and public health experts point to lead exposure as a likely contributor. 

According to the Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for Martindale Brightwood (ZIP codes 46202, 46205 and 46218), the neighborhood “had a higher rate than Marion County” for hypertension hospitalizations and hypertension deaths across multiple time periods analyzed. Those hospitalization rates remained elevated between 2007 and 2021. The HIA also cautions that many factors contribute to hypertension but explicitly lists lead exposure among environmental concerns considered in the assessment.

In a 2007 systematic review published in Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers concluded plainly: “We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to infer a causal relationship of lead exposure with hypertension.”  

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), chronic, low-level exposure to contaminant metals such as lead is “associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease,” and the AHA’s statement explains that these metals “interfere with essential biological functions and affect most populations on a global scale.” The AHA highlighted that lead accumulates in bones and organs for decades after exposure, increasing long-term cardiovascular risk."