LEAD

What is Lead?
Lead is a metal that is heavy, soft and easily worked. It is mined from the earth either directly or as a by-product of other metals being mined such as silver smelting. We can date the first uses of lead as a practical product to Roman times and some even speculate that their use of it in plumbing could have caused the decline of the Roman Empire. Top

How are we exposed to Lead?
There are two major exposure methods for lead to get into our bodies. The first is more typical for children who explore their environment with all their senses including taste. While children may actually chew on paint chips it is the dust from lead based paint that they ingest and is absorbed into the blood stream. This happens from them coming into physical contact with the dust and placing their hands in their mouth or from the dust getting on their toys which they then place in their mouth.

The second common exposure method is more common for adults and that is through inhalation. Lead particles can become airborne from a variety of sources like industrial manufacturing processes, working on lead paint, electronics work or hobbies such as gun ranges, glazing ceramics and stained glass window work. These activities can also affect our children by the take home affect where we go home and play with the kids or look in on a sleeping toddler while wearing clothing covered in lead dust.

One of the major sources of lead in our environment has been removed by taking lead out of gasoline. Since the government mandated lead-free gas there has been significant reductions in elevated lead blood poisoning cases.

What are the dangers of exposure to Lead?
Children and unborn babies are the most affected by lead exposure because it affects the nervous system development. This can lead to more common symptoms like nausea, stomachaches, headaches, trouble concentrating but at higher exposures it can cause a child to be unusually tired, cranky, reduction in intelligence, reading/learning disabilities, hyperactivity and reduced attention span.

In adults the symptoms are much like a child's in low levels: nausea, stomachaches, headaches, trouble concentrating, joint pain, weakness of limbs, and memory loss. At higher levels it can cause high blood pressure, reproductive difficulties and sexual dysfunction. Lead also affects the kidneys.

Another factor to understand about lead exposure is that when you are exposed to lead it is stored in the blood, kidneys and your bones. At lower exposure levels it is typically stored in the blood and kidneys where it will decrease and can eventually remove itself in a matter of years. However lead stored in the bones will stay in your body for decades. This is especially important to consider with young women of child bearing age, because the body will pull the lead out of the bones during a pregnancy.

Sources of Lead?

• Lead Based Paint (A lead safe level was established and mandated for residential paints in 1978, but not for industrial paints)
• Dust and Soil
• Car Batteries
• Vinyl Miniblinds
• Glazed Pottery
• Furniture Refinishing Materials
• Certain Cosmetics
• Certain Food Containers
• Foreign Land Sources-Many countries still use lead in all sort of things like food storage equipment, water distribution systems, toys and paints. Every year Consumer Product Safety Commission is pulling an imported product from the shelves because it has lead above the safe levels. When traveling or purchasing imported items care should be used.
• Fishing Weights made of lead
• Water pipes with lead solder
• Ammunition and firing ranges
• Some traditional medicines like Greta, Pay-loo-ah, Ghassard, Bala Goli, Kandu, Kohl, Alkohl and Azarcon