Chemical Properties And Its Effects

(Campbell, 2016). Two giants in childhood lead poisoning research and advocacy, Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. David Bellinger, summarize the adverse effects of lead very completely, yet succinctly: “Lead is a devastating poison. It damages children’s brains, erodes intelligence, diminishes creativity and the ability to weigh consequences and make good decisions, impairs language skills, shortens attention span, and predisposes to hyperactive and aggressive behavior. Lead exposure in early childhood is linked to later increased risk for dyslexia and school failure.”(p. 3).

According to ( Compton's by Britannica, 2011, SIRS discover) Lead is found in tap water and other water sources which is toxic metal

Everyone is susceptible to the dangers of lead contamination; but children are especially at risk. High levels of lead in children can lead to brain and kidney damage and damage to red blood cells. Low levels of lead can also cause problems that are less life-threatening but can be just as devastating, like low IQ, hearing and language impairment, reduced attention span and poor school performance. In adults, exposure to lead can lead to an increased risk for high blood pressure. Pregnant women and their fetuses are extremely vulnerable to lead. In women, lead increases the risk of infertility and miscarriages; in fetuses, lead can cause low birth weight, premature birth and impaired mental and physical development.

Lead is poisonous because once it enters your body it can form into other atoms like zinc and iron fooling the body into thinking they are there and not carrying out the vital functions they need. Lead atoms can also block neurotransmitters. In the 1920s there was essentially a lead "boom" and marketers began putting lead in everything including shoes, lightbulbs, and leaded gasoline, advertising that it was safe and even kid friendly (in some items) when it wasn't. The lead levels in the factories became so bad that the workers were becoming sick, hallucinating, going mad, and dying from being poisoned by lead. Scientist Robert Kehoe was hired by GM to "cover up" the lead threats saying the amount of lead was a naturally occurring. No one cared about the use of leaded gasoline and other leaded materials until Clair Patterson began to dig deeper into the research of lead in the

The improved screening and treatment of lead poisoning decreased the severity of symptoms usually seen. However, the level of lead in the blood does not establish what symptoms are seen, since lead in blood only establishes current exposure. Recently, studies have shown that a long exposure to low amounts of lead may have severe neurobehavioral effects that are not diagnosed until the child enters school (Singhal et. al., 1980).

When lead enters the human body, it is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is deposited in the teeth and bones where it accumulates over time. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, kidney and brain damage. Lead exposure can also cause miscarriage and infertility. The effects are even more severe in children. Lead can affect children’s brain development resulting in decreased intelligence quotient (IQ), shortened attention span and increased antisocial behaviour. At high levels of exposure, lead may attack the brain and central nervous system, causing coma. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may continue to suffer mental retardation and behavioural disorders. Furthermore, pregnant woman exposed to lead can

Chronic lead poisoning in children may cause intellectual disability, seizure disorders, aggressive behavior disorders, developmental regression, chronic abdominal pain, and

Recently, the environment impacts on our health have become a large concern of our societies worldwide. Lead is a pervasive and permanent environmental pollutants and recognized to be a main public health problem; therefore, it has been paid attention by researchers in probing its toxicity. Lead poisoning is an insidious disease which is often detected late after being confounded with another disorders such as gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, reproductive, hematologic, immunologic and neurologic disorders where it decreases the activity of certain enzymes by binding their sulfhydryl groups, or even to replace other metal ions and alter calcium homeostasis (Flora et al., 2006). Kidneys play a main role in the excretion of lead from our bodies. Recent studies also demonstrate that low levels of lead exposure can affect

In humans and animals, exposure to lead (Pb) can cause neurological, renal, reproductive, developmental, immune and cardiovascular health effects (United States Food and Drug Administration, 2015). The primary human exposure to Pb is via the food chain (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2007) especially since the excessive bioaccumulation of Pb is often found in edible portions of crops such as leafy and root vegetables from Pb-contaminated soils (Finster et al., 2004; McBride, 2013; McGrath and Zhao, 2015; McLaughlin et al., 2011). In Hezhang county, Guizhou province of southwestern China, Earlier investigations indicated foods of maize and vegetables were commonly grown in Pb-polluted soils (up to 6153 mg Pb kg-1) due to

In 2000, WHO assessed the global burden of disease due to a number of risk factors associated with lead. (3)

Throughout history one metal has shaped and molded civilizations. The first metal that comes to many people’s minds is that of gold, used for coinage, art, and display of power; however, the metal that literally has shaped civilizations from that of the Roman Empire to twentieth century America is lead. Over the course of thousands of years, lead refining methods allowed for it to become part of everyday life ranging from glassware to plumbing, to bullets and batteries. Despite its negative health effects, lead still plays an important role in modern life as it is used sparingly for the production of munitions, and solder, with more than 75% of lead being used for lead-acid batteries. Furthermore, many developing countries throughout the

The melting point is just one of the physical properties of a compound. The melting point helps identify a compound and the purity of a compound. If a compound is truly pure, it’ll have a higher melting point than a compound that is mixed with another substance. Also if a substance is truly pure, it’ll have a narrow melting point range. In order to identify a compound, small amount of the compound is heated in a device that has thermometer, a heating bath and a magnifying glass.

Earth, the only known planet with life, seems to revolve around many things in todays society. Money, land, precious metal, all seems to make the world go around, but in all reality, Earth would just be another planet without one sole resource, water. The food we eat and the air we breathe all seem to be dependent. Over the centuries, we have learned much about the molecular structure, physical and chemical properties, and so on. We have been able to harness its great power, and we have made the consumption a much quicker process through the idea of “city water” or tap water. The concept of tap water has been around since about 3000 B.C. in Mesopotamia

There is a vast amount of literature which indicates that the mineral nutrition has an important role in the toxicity of metals (Pond and Walker, 1972, 1975; Larson and Piscator, 1971; Petering et al., 1971, 1974; 1977; Hamilton and Valberg, 1974; Doyle and Pfander, 1975; Hastings et al., 1976; Waldron and Stofen, 1974). It is true, especially to those micronutrients which are essential such as zinc, copper, iron with respect to toxicity of certain metals like cadmium, arsenic, lead etc. It is assumed that the dietary intake of metals in excessive such as copper, iron and zinc will be protective against the toxic effects of the heavy metals like lead. The deficiency of calcium and other essential elements result in the enhanced toxicity of lead and cadmium [ref]. There had been difficulty in evaluating the role of essential nutrients like zinc, iron, copper etc on the toxicity of heavy metals, perhaps due to differences in the animal models choosen, the route of administration and other metabolic and physiological differences which leads to variable results between studies.

In the past, lead was used in smelting, and it was known that the vapors can be deadly (Cooksey 2012). In ancient Rome, lead containers were used to hold food and drink and was a constant source of chronic toxicity for many years (Cooksey 2012). Although people were recognizing the effects of lead, it wasn’t until after 1950 that legislation banned lead in food and drink cans (Cooksey 2012). Today, lead poisoning is a huge concern in China as the country becomes more industrialized and the production and use of lead increases (Hou et al. 2013).