Lead-based paint was banned in 1978, but houses built before then probably still contain leaded paint. Children, particularly under the age of six, are most at risk from even small amounts of lead, and the damage can be permanent. But there are things you can do to protect kids. Read on to learn more about the causes and effects of lead poisoning, how to help prevent it, and how to make the healthiest choices for your clients, the community, and your family.
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Lead poisons the entire body
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- After being ingested, lead enters the bloodstream and is absorbed and stored in many tissues and organs in the body, including the liver, kidneys, brain, teeth, and bones. High levels can cause serious health problems in your children and can affect almost every organ system of the body, causing many different symptoms.
- In children, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, decreased muscle and bone growth, speech and language problems, and behavior problems.
- In adults the effects of lead poisoning can include kidney damage, physical fatigue, high blood pressure, fertility problems in men and women, digestive problems, memory and concentration problems, muscle or joint pain, irritability, mood and personality changes, changes in sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and decreased sex drive.
- At high levels, lead can affect the central nervous system, leading to poor coordination, weakness in hands and feet, headaches, and in severe cases, convulsions, paralysis, and coma.
- People who work in industries where they are exposed to lead may also expose their own family to lead hazards when workers wear their work clothes home and wash them with the family laundry or when they bring scrap or waste material home from work.
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