Lead Poisoning

Lead has the capacity to damage practically every system and organ in the human body, and it can also cause hypertension or high blood pressure. It can be especially harmful to the developing brains of young children and fetuses. The higher the lead levels in a child’s bloodstream, and the longer these high levels last, the greater will the chances of ill effects taking place be. In the long run, lead poisoning in a child can lead to many conditions like learning disabilities, mental retardation and even behavioral problems. At dangerously high levels, lead poisoning also leads to coma, seizures and even death.

Around one in every six children in America is suffering from high levels of lead in the bloodstream, according to reports submitted by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Most of these children are generally exposed to lead because of peeling paint that’s present in older homes. Others that have been exposed do so through soil and dust that has been contaminated by past emissions of lead gasoline or even old paint. Children between the tender ages of 12 to 36 months tend to put things in their mouth, and so they are more likely to consume lead than most other children. Also, pregnant women who happen to come into contact with lead are also capable of passing it on to their fetuses.

More than 80% of the American homes that were built before the year 1978 were painted with lead-based paints. So, the older the home, the more likely will it be to contain lead paint and the higher will be the concentration of lead in the paint. Many homes also have lead present in the plumbing or water pipes. People may also find lead in the paint, soil and dust in and around their homes or even in their drinking water and may consume it unknowingly. Since lead cannot be seen, tasted or smelled, it is very easy to consume or inhale it without knowing you have done so. And since lead does not break down naturally, it will continue to cause problems until and unless it has been removed.

Lead Poisoning Symptoms
Before most scientists even knew the extent to which lead could harm a person, it was widely used all over the world in paints, water pipes, and gasoline and in many other products. Today paints, whether house-paints or not, are almost all lead-free, household plumbing is no longer made up of leaded materials, and gasoline is unleaded. Still, there will always be some remnants of these old hazards. Some of the sources of lead exposure include substances like lead-based paint, soil and dust, drinking water, certain foods that have lead solders, certain folk medicines and cosmetics, and so on.

New surveys have shown that lead could be harmful to children even at fairly low levels (levels that were once thought to be safe), and the risk of damage rises when the blood levels of lead increase. The symptoms of chronic lead poisoning may develop over time. Children may sometimes appear to be healthy even if they have high levels of lead in their bloodstreams. Over time however, the following problems may arise:

• Hyperactivity.
• Slowed growth.
• Headaches.
• Learning disabilities.
• Mental retardation.
• Hearing loss.

Lead poisoning can also be very harmful to adults, and it can cause digestive problems, high blood pressure, memory loss, nerve disorders, and joint and muscle pain. What’s more, it can also lead to difficulties and complications during pregnancy, and can also cause reproductive problems in women as well as men.

Acute lead poisoning on the other hand is less common and shows up faster and is more likely to be fatal. Some of the classical symptoms of acute lead poisoning are:

• Diarrhea.
• Weakness of the limbs.
• Coma.
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Seizures.

If acute lead poisoning however reaches the stage of seizures and coma, then there will be a high risk of death. Even if the person does survive, the chances of permanent brain damages taking place are strong. The long-term effects of even low levels of lead can also be severe and permanent. But, if chronic lead poisoning is caught on time, these adverse effects can be restricted by reducing any future exposure to lead and by getting proper medical care and attention.