Effects on Health
The effects of lead are the same whether it enters the body through breathing or swallowing. Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system, both in adults and children. Long-term exposure of adults can result in decreased performance in some tests that measure functions of the nervous system. It may also cause weakness in fingers, wrists, or ankles. Lead exposure also causes small increases in blood pressure, particularly in middle-aged and older people and can cause anemia. Exposure to high lead levels can severely damage the brain and kidneys in adults or children and ultimately cause death. In pregnant women, high levels of exposure to lead may cause miscarriage. High level exposure in men can damage the organs responsible for sperm production. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that inorganic lead is probably carcinogenic to humans and that there is insufficient information to determine whether organic lead compounds will cause cancer in humans.
 

Effects on Children
Small children can be exposed by eating lead-based paint chips, chewing on objects painted with lead-based paint or swallowing house dust or soil that contains lead. 

 

Children are more vulnerable to lead poisoning than adults. A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop blood anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness, and brain damage. If a child swallows smaller amounts of lead, much less severe effects on blood and brain function may occur. Even at much lower levels of exposure, lead can affect a child's mental and physical growth.
 

Exposure to lead is more dangerous for young and unborn children. Unborn children can be exposed to lead through their mothers. Harmful effects include premature births, smaller babies, and decreased mental ability in the infant, learning difficulties, and reduced growth in young children. These effects are more common if the mother or baby was exposed to high levels of lead. Some of these effects may persist beyond childhood.
 

Recommendations
It is recommended not to let children to chew or mouth surfaces that may have been painted with lead-based paint. Also if the house has a water lead problem, it is advised to run or to flush water that has been standing overnight before drinking or cooking with it. A blood test is available to measure the amount of lead in your blood and to estimate the amount of your recent exposure to lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that states test children at ages 1 and 2 years. Children should be tested at ages 3–6 years if they have never been tested for lead, if they receive services from public assistance programs for the poor such as Medicaid or the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, if they live in a building or frequently visit a house built before 1950; if they visit a home (house or apartment) built before 1978 that has been recently remodeled; and/or if they have a brother, sister, or playmate who has had lead poisoning. CDC considers a blood lead level of 10 ìg/dL to be a level of concern for children.
 

* Compiled by Elizabeth Limbrick of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities program.  Source: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2007. Toxicological Profile for Lead (Update). Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.