Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death. Lead can cross the placental barrier, which means pregnant women who are exposed to lead also expose their unborn child.
Even low-level lead exposures in developing babies have been found to affect behavior and intelligence. Lead exposure can cause miscarriage, stillbirths, and infertility in both men and women. Generally, lead affects children more than it does adults. Children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower levels than adults.
Lead poisoning has occurred in children whose parent s accidentally brought home lead dust on their clothing. Neurological effects and intellectual disability have also occurred in children whose parent s may have job-related lead exposure.
People with prolonged exposure to lead may also be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.
Breathing in dust that contains lead can also cause it. In the United States, lead used to be common in house paint and gasoline. These products are not produced with lead any longer. However, lead is still present everywhere. Children are at the highest risk of lead poisoning, especially if they live in old houses with chipping paint.
This is because children are prone to putting objects and fingers in their mouths. People in developing countries are also at a higher risk. Many countries do not have strict rules regarding lead. If you adopt a child from a developing country, their lead levels should be checked.
Lead poisoning is diagnosed with a blood lead test. This test is performed on a standard blood sample. Lead is common in the environment. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that no amount of lead in the blood is safe. It is known that levels as low as 5 micrograms per deciliter can be associated with health problems in children. Additional tests could include blood tests to look at the amount of iron storing cells in the blood, X-rays , and possibly a bone marrow biopsy.
The first step of treatment is to locate and remove the source of the lead. Keep children away from the source. If it cannot be removed, it should be sealed. Call your local health department for information on how to remove lead. They can also help you reduce the likelihood of lead exposure.
In more severe cases, a procedure known as chelation therapy can be used. This treatment binds to lead that has accumulated in your body.
The lead is then excreted in your urine. EDTA has side effects that include kidney dysfunction, and DMSA can often cause nausea, abdominal distress, and allergic reactions, among others. In children, recovery can take time. Even low lead exposure can cause permanent intellectual disability. The blood lead levels test is used to check for lead poisoning. Learn how and why the test is used. Blood poisoning is a serious infection. It occurs when bacteria are in the bloodstream. If an individual has inadequate calcium in their diet, their body will absorb more lead.
Additionally, since lead can replace iron in the formation of red blood cells, iron deficiency also leads to more lead being absorbed into the blood. A diet rich in beneficial minerals , particularly iron and calcium, can lower, but not eliminate, the uptake of lead from environmental sources.
However, people with low incomes might have trouble buying enough food or getting a balanced diet, robbing them of the protection that good nutrition provides. Flint is an economically disadvantaged community, making the lead exposure there of even greater concern. The damage lead causes cannot be reversed, but there are medical treatments to reduce the amount of lead in the body.
The most common is a process called chelation — a patient ingests a chemical that binds to lead, allowing it to be excreted from the body. Chelation, though, is not without its risks. In children, the use of chelation therapy must be carefully monitored to avoid serious complications that can include permanent kidney damage or even death.
The treatment is often reserved for only those children with very high lead levels. Lead exposure in the U. In , the Environmental Protection Agency decided to begin phasing out lead as a gasoline additive. The phase-out was complete in Interestingly, this was not done for health reasons, but to allow the catalytic converters that cars required to meet new air pollution standards to function.
However, the phase-out dramatically reduced the amount of lead deposited on the ground, where children could be exposed and ingest it while playing. Then in , the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of lead paint from residential properties and homes.
This action was solely based on health concerns. Together, these actions greatly reduced lead in the environment, with an added benefit of reducing blood lead levels in children. But there is still plenty of lead out there. And those who are poor or live in the shadow of abandoned industrial sites are often at greatest risk.
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