HomeHealth TopicsPoisoning Toxicology Environmental HealthLead Poisoning
Back to Poisoning Toxicology Environmental Health
Lead Poisoning
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Poisoning Toxicology Environmental Health

Lead Poisoning

Lead is a naturally occurring metal that can cause significant health problems across almost every organ and system in the body through environmental exposure.

Overview

Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth's crust and is found throughout our environment, often as a result of human activities such as mining and manufacturing. While lead was historically used in paint, older houses may still contain lead-based paint.

Causes and Exposure

You could be exposed to lead through several pathways:

  • Eating food or drinking water that contains lead, such as water from pipes in older homes.
  • Working in a job where lead is used.
  • Using lead in a hobby, such as making stained glass or lead-glazed pottery.
  • Using folk remedies, including certain herbs or foods that contain lead.

Health Effects

Breathing air, drinking water, eating food, or swallowing or touching dirt containing lead can lead to severe health consequences. Lead affects almost every organ and system in the body.

In Adults

Exposure in adults can result in:

  • Increased blood pressure
  • Infertility
  • Nerve disorders
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Irritability and difficulty with concentration or memory

In Children

Lead is especially dangerous for children. Large amounts of lead can cause anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness, and brain damage. Even at low levels, lead can negatively impact a child's mental and physical growth.

Source: Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry

Frequently Asked Questions

lways run tap water cold for 1 to 2 minutes before using it for drinking, cooking, or preparing infant formula if the faucet has sat unused for several hours. Hot water dissolves lead from older pipes and solder more rapidly, so never boil or cook with water drawn from the hot tap, and avoid using warm tap water to mix baby bottles. Consider installing point-of-use water filters that carry NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or Standard 58 certification specifically for lead reduction.
The definitive management strategy is eliminating the patient's exposure by identifying and removing environmental sources. For blood lead levels between 3.5 and 44 micrograms per deciliter, interventions focus on source remediation, monitoring, and optimizing dietary intake of iron, calcium, and vitamin C, which compete with lead for gastrointestinal absorption. For blood levels reaching 45 micrograms per deciliter or above, clinicians initiate medical chelation therapy using prescription agents like oral succimer (DMSA) or intravenous calcium disodium EDTA to bind circulating lead for urinary excretion.
Pediatricians routinely screen children for lead exposure at 12 and 24 months of age, or earlier if the child lives in housing built before 1978 or has other environmental risk factors. There is no safe blood lead level in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses a blood lead reference value of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or higher to identify children with elevated levels, which triggers nutritional counseling, developmental surveillance, and an environmental investigation to identify and eliminate the source.
Early lead toxicity rarely presents with overt clinical symptoms, which is why laboratory screening is essential. When early signs do manifest, they tend to be subtle and behavioral, including heightened irritability, hyperactivity, shortened attention span, delayed speech milestones, loss of previously acquired motor skills, persistent constipation, and diminished appetite. Marked symptoms like severe abdominal cramping, persistent vomiting, anemia, or seizures occur only at significantly higher blood concentrations.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

kontakt@hittavard.se

Ⓒ 2024. Alla rättigheter förbehålls av juxt ab

Sök
Om ossVillkor och policyVanliga frågorKontakta oss