Essay about Lead Toxicity: Its Effects on Fetal and Infant Development

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says that lead exposure in children may cause comas, seizures, and death. Because a child’s brain is still developing, the damage of lead exposure is more severe. Not only does lead affect the way the brain physically develops, but lasting neurological and behavioral damage includes lower IQ scores, higher risk of attention deficit disorders and hearing impairments, decreases in impulse control, and potentially violent behavior. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician who runs the pediatric medical residency program at Flint’s Hurley Medical Center, studied blood lead level tests and found that the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels had gone from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent citywide (Barry-Jester). Hanna-Attisha’s findings showed a rise to sixteen percent in neighborhoods where lead levels were known to be elevated in the water. She points out, "Lead only last in body a short time … and when you screen them, it's no longer elevated. So we've missed children's peak lead levels and that's why everyone says it

(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).

Lead poisoning has been a concern for many years. In fact, because of the affects of lead poisoning, there has been an extensive decline in its use. "Many people believe lead poisoning is no longer a threat, yet millions of homes contain lead based paint" (Heck, J., 2005, para. 1). Exposure to lead at any level is unhealthy, especially in infants, children, and pregnant women and continues to be an ongoing dilemma in this country. I read two articles concerning lead poisoning; the first article is from FineTuning, a popular press and the second article is from Pediatrics, a peer-review journal. In this paper, I will clearly summarize each article by comparing the content of both articles. In addition, I will summarize the attention to

The major sources of lead here were gasoline, paint chips and water from old plumbing. After lead was removed from gasoline and paint, blood lead levels (BLL) in children decreased on average from 16 mcg/dL to less than 3 mcg/dL. Residual lead persists in the environment, however. A toxic level is currently defined as 5 mcg/dL. In U.S. children age 1-5, the prevalence of BLLs >10 mcg/dL decreased from 88% to 4.4% between 1976 and 1994 and further dropped to 0.8% by 2010. Yet there are still almost half a million children in the U.S. with levels >5

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.

There are multiple reasons to expect that a person's lead exposure as a child could affect

Children under six years old are very easily affected to the effects of lead. Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in: behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing Problems and anemia; lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. For pregnant women, during pregnancy, lead is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus. This is particularly true if a woman does not have enough dietary calcium. Lead can also cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus the lead. So lead can cause serious effects to the mother and her developing fetus, including: reduced growth of the fetus and premature birth. And for other adults, lead can also be harmful, it can cause cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure and incidence of hypertension, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems in both men and

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).

As a result of this, the percentage of children with high levels of lead in their blood doubled after the switch. Lead does irreversible damage to children’s

Lead exposure causes permanent brain damage. Children under six are most at risk from small amounts of lead. Among adults, pregnant women are especially at risk from exposure to lead. In children, lead can cause nervous system and kidney damage, decreased intelligence, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities; speech, language, and behavior problems. In pregnant women, lead is passed from the mother to the fetus and can cause miscarriages, premature births, brain damage, and low birth weight.

Epidemiological evidence has shown higher susceptibility of children to the adverse effects of lead exposure. The central and peripheral neurotoxicity of low-level long-term exposure to lead has a special relevance in children. To date, no safe lead-exposure threshold has been identified; however, neurophysiological studies in exposed subjects at low lead levels have showed that lead affects the central nervous system, particularly the developing brain and sensitivity and motor peripheral nerves. However, clinical studies on lead-induced neurotoxicity in children are limited and the existing have associated the effects of lead on the peripheral nerves with the current blood lead levels; as well as, they have a reduced sample size and only a few sensory and motor nerves has

Furthermore, lead can cause some serious health problems, especially to children. Lead can cause something called lead poisoning, which happens when you absorb too much lead by interacting with any substance that has lead in

Unwanted effects that are caused by Lead in the human body (Goyer, 1986) and (Jarup, 2003):

This specific portion of the population is exposed to multiple contaminants. Low-income communities face increased exposure to heavy metals, especially lead . Especially those of low SES who are of a minority is more likely to be exposed to lead. Lead exposure in this population is almost double that of more affluent white neighbourhoods. Not only is lead exposure more frequent, the levels of lead seen in children in low-income houses have been known to exceed safe limits. This is often a concern for children as lead exposure can increase the risk for many health complications later in life. Furthermore, nutrition can also play a role in one's exposure to lead. Poor nutrition can be affiliated with higher risks of lead toxicity. Children with poor nutrition, suffer from more side effects and complications of lead exposure. It can then be concluded that impoverished communities face greater risks of lead exposure and toxic lead levels. This correlation illustrates that those of low-income houses are a high-risk population for lead exposure in comparison to communities of higher income levels.

Lead is a toxic metal that can accumulate in the body over time and is damaging to health even at low exposure levels, especially for children. According to the EPA, low levels of lead in the blood of children have been linked to central and peripheral nervous system damage, learning disabilities, slowed growth, hearing problems and anemia. The EPA estimates that drinking water can make up 20% or more of a person’s total exposure to lead. Recent random testing conducted by Utah state officials found lead in the drinking water of 90% of the sampled schools. 10 of such schools were found to have lead levels exceeding the EPA’s safety guideline of 0.15 ppm. Lead may enter drinking water when lead-containing plumbing corrodes, which happens at