Conduct disorder linked to secondhand smoke exposure

A national study of 3,091 US children has linked an increased risk for conduct disorder (CD) to postnatal lead exposure and both pre- and postnatal exposure to secondhand smoke. The findings, reported in the July 2008 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), confirm the results of smaller studies associating CD to these toxicants. The authors examined the association of prenatal tobacco smoke, postnatal tobacco smoke, and postnatal lead exposure with CD in children eight to 15 years of age.