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Lead may also be harmful to the developing immune system, causing production of excessive inflammatory proteins; this mechanism may mean that lead exposure is a risk factor for asthma in children. [188] Lead exposure has also been associated with a decrease in activity of immune cells such as polymorphonuclear leukocytes. [188]
Blood lead level (BLL), is a measure of the amount of lead in the blood. [1] [2] Lead is a toxic heavy metal and can cause neurological damage, especially among children, at any detectable level. High lead levels cause decreased vitamin D and haemoglobin synthesis as well as anemia, acute central nervous system disorders, and possibly death. [3]
Lead may be found in food when food is grown in soil that is high in lead, airborne lead contaminates the crops, animals eat lead in their diet, or lead enters the food either from what it was stored or cooked in. [287] Ingestion of lead paint and batteries is also a route of exposure for livestock, which can subsequently affect humans. [288]
The risks of lead exposure and poisoning Lead is a naturally occurring metal found abundantly throughout the Earth, per the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences .
Exposure to lead in gasoline during childhood resulted in many millions of excess cases of psychiatric disorders over the last 75 years, a new study estimates. Lead was banned from automobile fuel ...
[6] [7] Airborne lead enters the body by breathing or swallowing lead particles or dust once it has settled. Old lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure in the U.S. [7] [8] Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as 1978 may also contain lead paint.
The risks of lead exposure and poisoning Lead is a naturally occurring metal found abundantly throughout the earth, per the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences .
Lead poisoning, in contrast to arsenic poisoning, is inflicted by industry. Most lead on the planet is immobilized as minerals, which are relatively harmless. Two major sources of lead poisoning are leaded gasoline and lead leached from plumbing (from Latin, plumbus for lead). Use of leaded gasoline has declined precipitously since the 1970s.