What are the adverse health outcomes of lead exposure?
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. Lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system.
What happens to the body with lead poisoning?
The greatest risk is to brain development, where irreversible damage can occur. Higher levels can damage the kidneys and nervous system in both children and adults. Very high lead levels may cause seizures, unconsciousness and death.
What are the long-term effects of lead poisoning?
Lead also causes long-term harm in adults, including increased risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage. Exposure of pregnant women to high levels of lead can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight.
How does lead poisoning affect the nervous system?
Lead poisoning can cause peripheral nerve damage: this can cause muscle weakness and problems with the sense of touch. When researchers examine these damaged nerves, they find that the myelin insulation is often gone and the axons are destroyed. These changes prevent nerves from transmitting messages properly.
How does lead exposure affect development?
Exposure to lead can have a wide range of effects on a child’s development and behavior. Even when exposed to small amounts of lead levels, children may appear inattentive, hyperactive, and irritable. Children with greater lead levels may also have problems with learning and reading, delayed growth, and hearing loss.
How does lead affect the lungs?
The higher effect of lead exposure on FVC, FEV1 and PEF may also indicate that lead exposure may induce COPD like changes in the lung. This conclusion also supported by lower effect of lead exposure on prevalence and severity of wheeze and its higher effect on chest tightness, cough and sputum.
How is lead excreted from the body?
Most of the lead that enters the body is excreted in urine or through biliary clearance (ultimately, in the feces).
How does lead impact the brain?
Lead exposure can have serious consequences for the health of children. At high levels of exposure lead attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with intellectual disability and behavioural disorders.
What are the neurotoxic effects of lead?
The direct neurotoxic actions of lead include apoptosis (programmed cell death), excitotoxicity affecting neurotransmitter storage and release and altering neurotransmitter receptors, mitochondria, second messengers, cerebrovascular endothelial cells, and both astroglia and oligodendroglia.
Which outcome is considered a permanent result of lead poisoning?
What are the long term effects of lead poisoning?
What are the health effects of lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning and health 1 Sources and routes of exposure. People can become exposed to lead through occupational and environmental sources. 2 Health effects of lead poisoning on children. Lead exposure can have serious consequences for the health of children. 3 Burden of disease from lead exposure. 4 WHO response.
How does lead affect the health of children?
Lead exposure can have serious consequences for the health of children. At high levels of exposure, lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with mental retardation and behavioural disorders.
When to see a doctor about lead poisoning?
Contact your health care provider or department of public health if you suspect possible low-level lead exposure. A blood lead test can help identify whether a problem exists. Over 10 mcg/dL (0.48 µmol/L) is a definite concern. Levels between 2 and 10 mcg/dL (0.10 and 0.48 µmol/L) should be discussed with your doctor.
When was the first known case of lead poisoning?
Descriptions of lead poisoning date to at least 2000 BC, while efforts to limit lead’s use date back to at least the 16th century. Concerns for low levels of exposure begin in the 1970s with there being no safe threshold for lead exposure.