Hazardous Chemicals Research Project
Lead is a heavy, ductile, soft, grayish solid element. Lead is one of the first elements known by humans. There is even archaeological evidence that finds that lead was used at least 5,000 years ago. Lead has been used throughout human history due to its ability to be molded easily and its chemical inertness. However lead has been recently found to have very serious negative biological effects on humans, especially young children. Lead was used in many instances over the past century. Lead poisoning is still a wide spread issue that effects children mainly in lower socio- economic statuses. Lead has very negative effects on the human body, it is considered a neurotoxin and a teratogen. Even though lead …show more content…
Lead has many sub lethal effects that depend on the dose ingested. There is chronic lead poisoning and there is acute lead poisoning. Chronic lead poisoning is defined as being when lead is absorbed into the body in small dosages over a long amount of time. It is the bioaccumulation of lead in an organism like fish or humans. Chronic lead poisoning is much more common than acute lead poisoning due to the low levels of lead that are most commonly found in soil and paint. The common symptoms of chronic lead poisoning include: learning disabilities, hyperactivity, mental retardation, slowed growth, hearing loss, and headaches. The longer a person is exposed to lead, the more serious the symptoms can become. Acute lead poisoning is defined as lead poisoning where a large concentration of lead is absorbed into the body over a short period of time. Acute lead poisoning is much more rare than chronic because of how much lead is needed to be absorbed for it to be categorized as acute. Symptoms of acute lead poisoning include, but are not limited to: severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, weakness of the limbs, seizures, and comas. Not very much is known about what the lead accumulation actually does to a brain to cause these symptoms. Both types are both very dangerous to humans, chronic poisoning is much more common and it can sometimes hard to detect until it is too late, …show more content…
The use of lead in many common products in the early and middle parts of the 20th century still have negative effects on the youth of today. The silent epidemic of lead poisoning that still plague inner-city kids that can’t do anything about it, is frightening because there is almost no public awareness or movements to help them. This epidemic is really kept hush-hush. Lead is still a big problem, maybe not for everyone, but it will not be completely eradicated without public knowledge and action concerning the
Lead is a heavy, ductile, soft, grayish solid element. Lead is one of the first elements known by humans. There is even archaeological evidence that finds that lead was used at least 5,000 years ago. Lead has been used throughout human history due to its ability to be molded easily and its chemical inertness. However lead has been recently found to have very serious negative biological effects on humans, especially young children. Lead was used in many instances over the past century. Lead poisoning is still a wide spread issue that effects children mainly in lower socio- economic statuses. Lead has very negative effects on the human body, it is considered a neurotoxin and a teratogen. Even though lead …show more content…
Lead has many sub lethal effects that depend on the dose ingested. There is chronic lead poisoning and there is acute lead poisoning. Chronic lead poisoning is defined as being when lead is absorbed into the body in small dosages over a long amount of time. It is the bioaccumulation of lead in an organism like fish or humans. Chronic lead poisoning is much more common than acute lead poisoning due to the low levels of lead that are most commonly found in soil and paint. The common symptoms of chronic lead poisoning include: learning disabilities, hyperactivity, mental retardation, slowed growth, hearing loss, and headaches. The longer a person is exposed to lead, the more serious the symptoms can become. Acute lead poisoning is defined as lead poisoning where a large concentration of lead is absorbed into the body over a short period of time. Acute lead poisoning is much more rare than chronic because of how much lead is needed to be absorbed for it to be categorized as acute. Symptoms of acute lead poisoning include, but are not limited to: severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, weakness of the limbs, seizures, and comas. Not very much is known about what the lead accumulation actually does to a brain to cause these symptoms. Both types are both very dangerous to humans, chronic poisoning is much more common and it can sometimes hard to detect until it is too late, …show more content…
The use of lead in many common products in the early and middle parts of the 20th century still have negative effects on the youth of today. The silent epidemic of lead poisoning that still plague inner-city kids that can’t do anything about it, is frightening because there is almost no public awareness or movements to help them. This epidemic is really kept hush-hush. Lead is still a big problem, maybe not for everyone, but it will not be completely eradicated without public knowledge and action concerning the