Lead

Lead, or Pb2+, is a naturally occurring toxicant, which was used in lead-based paints. The impact of lead poisoning in adults is far less serious than it is on child exposed whilst still developing. Pb2+ has the ability to pass through the blood-brain barrier as well as through the placenta into a developing fetus. A pregnant woman exposed to small amounts of lead that may not harm her leads the way for long-term effects on the child’s learning and memory due to the blocking of NMDA receptors in…

“From personal tragedy to public health crisis” of the book “Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children” by Markowitz and Rosner, the lead poisoning and the actions taken is discussed. In the early 1900’s, health departments throughout the U.S. were not communicating and helping each other to fight the public threat of lead. Therefore it was easy for the Lead Industries Association (LIA) to downplay the impact of lead and for manufactures to avoid regulation. Paint was…

consequences and possibly lethal; lead poisoning is a top environmental health issue for children. Picher, Oklahoma fell victim to the devastation that can be caused by lead poisoning. Zinc and lead were major resources available in Picher making it a booming mining city. During the early 1920’s, lead exposure was not a high priority concern. Consequently, miners were dumping the waste from mining in the form of hills on the streets. When miners were digging up the lead and zinc, they were…

Situations are not always as they appear. While a situation, prima facie, may seem ethical, taking a deeper look, one may uncover nuances that lead to seeing the situation as unethical. In this essay, I analyze the Lead-Based Paint Abatement Repair and Maintenance Study (1992) conducted by the Kennedy Krieger Institute, in order to provide an ethical analysis of the study. In doing so, I argue that the ethics of the study shifts depending upon which set of non-moral facts an individual chooses…

role in distribution of lead. Blood plays a major role in the distribution of lead even though it has a tendency to carry a small fraction of the total amount of lead present in a body. This is due to the fact that blood is constantly circulating and coming into contact every single part of the human body. Lead found within the blood system on average has a half life nearing only 1 month. Next is distribution and storage through the accumulation of many soft tissues. Lead storage seen within…

attributable DALYs in high-mortality countries (WHO 2002).” In this scientific paper, I will discuss the neurological effects of lead contamination in public water through a series of case studies in the hopes of urging the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to place stricter regulation on the EPA in monitoring lead pollution of public and private water. Lead-contaminated water is a significant issue as it is related to neurological and psychological impairments such as learning…

Lead consumption in drinking water Many people who have consumed lead may have to face some serious problems with lead. Consuming water that contains lead, is not only unhealthy but could be fatal. Drinking water that lead is in, can affect many body systems and even do some serious damage. There are many ways that lead can affect people. Lead is known as something that is very dangerous if consumed. A little bit of lead can affect the human's body and the way in functions. If any lead gets in…

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…

As the health and safety manager, I’ve identified that workers were exposed to cadmium and lead. Cadmium is a soft malleable transition metal. It is silvery bluish-white in color. Although toxic by nature, this chemical element is commonly used to create dry cell batteries. Like mercury, cadmium has the lowest melting point of groups three through eleven transition metals. Lead is a malleable soft heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. It bluish-white in color when freshly cut,…

4. Metal poisoning came to the foreground of the American consciousness when a spotlight was shown on the high lead levels in Flint’s water system in Michigan. Although many steps have been performed to reduce lead poisoning, namely in children, such as removing lead paint from homes in 1978, removing lead from gasoline, and proposing stricter laws on imported toys containing lead, heavy metal poisoning still exists. Chelation therapy is still the preferred medical treatment for such heavy metal…