The Adverse Effects Of Lead

Improved Essays
Lead has a long history had many uses back in its prime. Lead use dates all the way to the 300 BC, but It wasn’t used extensively until the Medieval times. Lead was originally utilized by the Romans for an array of problems. In an article by Needleman (1999) the romans would use Lead for roofing, coffins, cisterns, tanks, and gutters, and for statues and ornaments. The people found that unlike other metals lead did not need to be painted in order to not be corroded away. Leads inherent softness could be used to mold it into shapes, pipes, bowls, and utensils. In the modern age lead was extensively used in paint and gasoline. Lead made the paint more durable but over time the paint would chip off the wall and then cause lead dust. Lead dust …show more content…
Lead affects each person and different concentrations of lead in the blood creates different adverse effects. According to Shnur and John lead affects children under 6 years of age the most because before then the human brain hasn’t developed the blood brain barrier which is in charge of directing contaminated blood out of the brain to lessen the effects of the chemical. Lead is a Neurotoxin, an endocrine disruptor, a teratogen, a mutagen, and a carcinogen. It can have all these affects at once or any combination of them. Lead inhibits the transport of oxygen and which alters nerve transmission in the brain which prevents it from making new synapses. One of America’s first pediatric neurologist was the first person to discover that several children with learning or behavior disorders had been previously diagnosed with lead poisoning. According the NRDC in regular humans the gastrointestinal tract can absorb 10-15% of lead. Pregnant women can absorb up to 50% of lead. Which this dosage has more detrimental effects. In a study done by John Hopkins professor (2000) is shows that lead is a potent inhibitor of the NMDA receptor, a protein known to play an important role in brain development and cognition. In this study it demonstrates that lead exposure decreased the amount of NMDA receptor gene and protein in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Considering this, lead doesn’t just affect the brain it impacts other …show more content…
The Mayo Clinic’s procedure is, the first step in treating all degrees of lead poisoning is to remove the source of the contamination. If you can't remove lead from the environment, it may at least be able to reduce the likelihood that it will cause problems. The main treatment medically is the chelation. This treatment is when someone takes a medication that binds with the lead so that it's excreted through the urine. As used by the University of Maryland Medical Center doctors treat adults with lead levels greater than 45 mcg/dL of blood with one or more of three drugs, most commonly a chemical called ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Depending on your lead level, you may need more than one treatment. EDTA has a claw-like molecular structure that binds to heavy metals and other toxins. The medication is injected intravenously and once in the bloodstream, EDTA traps lead and other metals, forming a compound that the body can eliminate in the urine. The process generally takes 1 to 3 hours. In such severe cases, however, it may not be possible to reverse damage that has already occurred. Lead may have a long history and some benefits it is ultimately very detrimental to the human body and should not be

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Concerns starting with rashes, lost hair, and some sickened or ill. Beyond the physical characteristics affected by lead, comes mental. Small but subtle doses of the vital water can lower IQ levels, immediate initiate disabilities, disorders, and tentative behaviors (Adams). Following these minor effects come the more severe. Children sent to hospitals with lead poisoning, stunted growth, along with mothers of premature, and behavioral and learning problems (Greenblatt).…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “Lead Contamination in Flint - An Abject Failure to Protect Public Health” David Bellinger examines the impact Flint’s contaminated water has and will continue to have on its population, primarily the children. In 2014, executives from the Flint Water Treatment Plant decided to use the Flint River as the main source of water instead of Lake Huron as a “cost saving measure.” The river is polluted with lead from older, now defunct industrial factories which specialized in products that contain harmful byproducts. One of the water-purifying agents used in the Flint River is ferric chloride which has an effect on naturally occurring bio-matter in water, increased corrosiveness.…

    • 344 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the CNN article “How Tap Water Became Toxic in Flint, Michigan”, by Sara Ganim and Linh Tran, the write about how water became infected with lead in Flint, Michigan. In 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan, decided to cut the water supply of the city from Lake Huron to The Flint River. The city did this in order for the state to build a new supply line from the lake. When the water started coming in from the river, residents reported that it looked brown. It was discovered that the state DEQ wasn’t treating the water with an anti corrosive agent, and since the water from the river is 19 times dirtier than the water of the lake, the water corroded the metal of the pipes, putting it in the water.…

    • 674 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    One of today's silent villains is lead poisoning. It is one of the most prevalent sources of childhood health problems. Each year, several hundred children in Yount County are treated for serious cases of lead poisoning. There are countless others who are suffering silently because their symptoms are either too minor or they go unnoticed by parents, teachers and other authorities. for example, consider the case of Janice Brown in northwestern Yount County.…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lead Poisoning In Flint

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As a result of the damaged pipes, everyone who has come into contact with Flint’s infectious water is at some risk for lead poisoning. Flint’s current adult residents, those who run schools, businesses, provide for families, and support each other on a daily basis, are now in irreversible danger. No amount of lead in the human body is healthy, but the effects of lead poisoning can only be spotted when the lead levels have become dangerous ("Lead Poisoning."). The effects in adults include, but are not limited to: mood disorders, reduced or abnormal sperm, premature birth, and even miscarriages ("Lead Poisoning."). These are all things that could result in severe emotional damage and disruption to the lives of the teachers, entrepreneurs, and providers of Flint.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Flint's Water Case Study

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When Flint decided to stop buying Detroit’s water and switch to new water, they had no idea what was in store. Soon, every Flint civilian was exposed to Lead. Lead can affect children’s brain development, education attainment, and impair the body. Increasing Lead amount in Flint’s water can cause permanent issues in the town members’ health. Flint’s government is at fault here, and it needs to take charge before things get worse.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With the known health consequences of lead exposure having been known since the 1800s, recent interest in environmental lead concentrations has sparked research projects. There has been grave concern by the medical community that a significant amount of children have elevated blood lead levels. The analysis could help to further reduce lead exposure and its corresponding potential for neurological…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The term privilege can be interpreted and viewed in many ways, such as having an advantage, being fortunate, having something someone else does not have. Many kinds of thoughts, negative and positive can be associated with the word privilege The thoughts and feelings surrounding the term privilege can change based on personal and individual experiences and upbringings, the term could mean a variety of things to a different individuals or groups of people. Other terms that usually follow the term privilege are equality, race, and economic status. There are many questions and debates that are sparked based off the term privilege, and for good reason. Some reasons debates are started from the term privilege are racial profiling and job opportunities…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article Fetal Death and Reduced Birth Rates Associated with Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water by Marc Edwards discusses some incidents regarding lead exposure, along with the correlation between this complication and fetal death, as well as miscarriages. At first glance the observation and claims being shown seem constructed with specific diction concerning a science, more precisely, ecological science. Throughout Edwards’s article, the claims presented are accompanied with the use of charts and notation. When viewing this notion of lexicon, it is suggested that the intended audience should possess knowledge and be familiar with certain vocabulary, as stated in the first sentence, “in children at thresholds >5 μg/dL and also >10 μg/dL” (739). We assume this as Edwards does not further elaborate on his charts and notations, leaving a portion of audience unsure of the truth and meaning behind these claims.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lead shot a poison, but does it matter when the intention is to kill? There is a controversy in the hunting community, whether lead shot does enough harm to waterfowl to continue the ban on lead shot for waterfowl hunting. The main reasons for using lead shot are stopping power, range, and cost. The alternatives are non-toxic shots such as steel, Hevi-Shot, bismuth. The most commonly used is steel because it is the cheapest of the non-toxic shot.…

    • 925 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    After Flint, Mich., switched from purchasing water via Detroit to sourcing locally from the Flint River, residents began noticing a change in water quality. One resident—Lee Anne Walters—suspected the water might be toxic, and had her water tested for lead. She brought samples to Marc Edwards, an environmental engineer at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a world-renowned expert on water treatment. He found lead levels in her tap water at 13,200 parts per billion; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sounds the alarm at 15 ppb. She subsequently discovered her three-year-old son had blood lead levels so high that he was considered lead poisoned.…

    • 419 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lead poisoning is a condition typically seen in children younger than six exposed to lead-containing paint or water. Children from low-income families are a particularly vulnerable population. Childhood lead poisoning can result in a higher likelihood of teenage pregnancy, a higher likelihood of juvenile delinquency, and a host of neurological, reproductive, and developmental problems. In 2015, Watertown, WI –a city of 24,000 in central Wisconsin– had the second highest rate of childhood lead poisoning in the state.…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Harmful chemicals found in consumer products every year put humans and the environment at risk. Unfortunately you can’t just shop your way around the chemicals. Chemicals are found in more items then what one thinks. The article “Chemical in Plastic May Harm Children” by LA Times staff writer Marla Cone you learn that the chemicals found in plastic products can lead to harmful side effects. The chemical bisphenol A, or BPA was found to be harmful by The National Toxicology Program.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The toxicology of the chemical, lead, affects the brain because in a developing brain, such as a child’s, the cells are still being produced, therefore can be easily manipulated by the low or high levels of exposure to lead. Lead acts as a poison to the brain as it harms the mitochondria, which is critical for energy fabrication within the neuron, and an alteration in this function may damage the cell, because it does not have the proper building blocks to make it work properly, and to do its function. Lead also affects the brain’s function by interfering with neuron-transmitter release and synapse formation. Lead affects different parts of the brain such as the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. The cerebral cortex assists in action…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Alternative 2: Lead-Based Paint Abatement Program The second policy alternative is the creation of an LBP abatement program. LBP is primarily found in housing built before LBP was banned in 1978, but especially in housing built before 1950. A 2006 analysis found that “90% of lead-poisoned [Wisconsin] children lived in housing built prior to 1950.” This program would seek to address the risk presented to low-income Watertown children by the city’s old housing stock.…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays