Exposure to lead increases the risk of meningioma and brain cancer: A meta-analysis

Objective: To analyze the relationship between environmental lead exposure and various types of brain tumors. Methods: Search databases PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) as of July 1, 2019. Stata 15.0 software was used for analysis. Results: In the case control, lead exposure was associated with gliomas and meningiomas 0.82 (95 % CI: 0.69, 0.95) and 1.06 (95 % CI: 0.65, 1.46). In the cohort study, lead exposure was associated with brain cancer and meningiomas 1.07 (95 % CI: 0.95, 1.19) and 1.06 (95 % CI: 0.94, 1.17). The risk of childhood brain tumors associated with parental lead exposure was 1.17 (95 % CI: 0.99, 1.34). Conclusions: Lead may be a risk factor for meningiomas and brain cancers. However, the glioma results suggest that lead may be a protective factor, which needs to be further studied.