Effects of Lead
Poisoning
Health Effects of
Lead Poisoning
Effects of lead poisoning harms
young children and babies even before birth.
Lead poisoning has serious long-term effects
especially on children. Because children have not fully developed,
effects of lead poisoning can begin when a child is a fetus
if the mother has been exposed to lead. Pregnant mothers should
take extra caution to avoid lead exposure because up to 50%
of a child’s blood lead level can be absorbed through
the mother’s body. While catching lead exposure early
can significantly reduce the long-term effects it has through
medical treatment, catching it early can be difficult.
Not all effects of lead poisoning are apparent
unless the amount of lead is extremely high, showing up in
mild outward signs like headaches, irritability, or abdominal
pain,
which is easily attributable to other things. Lead can enter
your body if you put your hand or another object into your
mouth that contains lead dust on it, lead containing paint
chips or soil is ingested, or lead dust is breathed in. By
continuing to be exposed to the harmful effects of lead poisoning
you are risking further, more permanent damage.
Long-term, low level effects of lead poisoning
can result in learning or behavioral problems like speech,
learning, attention, behavior, and mental processing problems,
and chronic high levels of lead exposure can lead to anemia,
visible tooth damage, changes in kidney function, and nervous
system damage resulting in seizures, comas, and death. Effects
of lead poisoning during childhood and even before that is
the most damaging time, but the cumulative effect of the lead
based on the age of exposure, the amount of lead absorbed
into the blood, and the length of exposure determines how
much damage the effects of lead poisoning can cause.
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Effects of
lead poisoning by a pregnant mother can be very harmful
to the fetus
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Effects of lead poisoning can cause
premature birth, low birth rate, impairment of sensory motor
development, miscarriage, and stillbirth. The EPA estimates
that 9,150 children have an IQ score below 70 because of lead
exposure. Effects of lead poisoning in adults may cause high
blood pressure and damage to reproductive organs. When high
lead blood levels exist in adults symptoms may range from
death, coma, seizure, lack of coordination, vomiting, altered
consciousness, bizarre behavior, a loss of recently acquired
skills, and listlessness.
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