What Is Lead Poisoning?

Words: 1180
Pages: 5
Open Document
Lead Poisoning Some of our houses are doing more damage than you may think. Lead poisoning is considered a disease that affects all living organisms in our environment. It occurs when a living organism ingests or breathes in high amounts of lead acetate. Lead acetate is a chemical found in the metal lead. Lead was used as a pigment in old paint and solder as well as a colorant in many other industrial applications (Safety Memos, 2014). Lead poisoning is mostly onset by old paints and solder from water pipes. Old paint can flake off of walls and turn to a fine dust that can be breathed in or land in food. Lead from water pipes can leach into the water and be ingested that way. Lead poisoning in humans primarily affects children living …show more content…
This is mainly a factor of health, because lead poisoning is a disease and it is very detrimental to the health of humans. Lead poisoning is a global issue, with most of the burden of the disease in Southeast Asia, Western Pacific, and Eastern Mediterranean regions (WHO, 2015). However, the disease and its effects are not limited to just these areas, as lead wasn’t found to be a toxin until the 1980s.
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the earth’s crust, and an element on the periodic table (WHO, 2015). Its atomic number is 82, and its chemical symbol is Pb. Lead has a weighted average atomic mass of 207.2 amu, coming from a total of 13 different isotopes. Four of these isotopes are stable, and the rest have radioactive half-lives. An atom of lead contains 82 protons, 82 electrons, and 125 neutrons. It has a density of 11.34 g/cm3 at 293 Kelvins (Bentor, 2012). …show more content…
It is a neurotoxin, causing problems by blocking glutamate receptors and therefore inhibiting learning. It also causes various problems in many other parts of the body, such as the lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys because it displaces other metals from doing their jobs correctly. These are necessary metals in the body such as calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn). For example, the enzyme delta-aminolaevulinate dehydratase loses its zinc in the presence of lead. Because of this, the biosynthesis of heme is blocked. Heme is the iron-binding block of hemoglobin molecules, which carry oxygen through the bloodstream (Crow, 2007). This entire process is inhibited in the presence of lead, and organs throughout the body become short of oxygen. This is called lead poisoning. Symptoms of the disease in children include developmental delay, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss, sluggishness/fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, and hearing loss (Perez, 2015). This is a very extensive list due to just how dangerous lead poisoning can be in children. It even has very high chances of scarring them for life: the prognosis isn’t very bright. Children who have been exposed to high concentrations of lead typically have a limited IQ and attention span, limited nerve and muscle function, and are at a higher risk for developing other health problems in the
Show More

Related Documents: What Is Lead Poisoning?

Essay on The Effects of Lead Poisoning in Rome

Lead is a common chemical element found on the periodic table with an atomic number of 82. What many people may not know is that this type of metal may have caused an empire’s collapse. Many explanations have been offered by historians as to how and why the Roman Empire fell. One of these theories suggest that lead poisoning was what caused the fall of Rome. But in order to understand how lead resulted in the collapse of Rome, one must first understand the uses for lead in Rome, the health implication…

Words 625 - Pages 3

Childhood Lead Poisoning Essay

Importance of preventing childhood lead poisoning: * Lead is highly toxic, especially to younger children. It can harm children’s brain, kidney, bone marrow and other body systems. * High levels of lead in the blood can cause coma, convulsions and death in children. * Exposure to lead, even at relatively low levels, has been found to be associated with decreased hearing, lower intelligence, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and developmental problems that may make learning harder.…

Words 1915 - Pages 8

Lead Exposure Essay

Questions for lead poisoning prevention focus group Focus area Healthy People 2020: Environmental health General questions • What is lead and where it is typically found? • What is lead poisoning? • How lead affects the body? • What age group is at risk? • When should a child be tested on lead poisoining? • What are the sign and symptoms of lead toxixity? Steps to Reduce Lead Exposure • Do you understand the importance of hand washing, especially when preventing lead exposure? • Can you…

Words 409 - Pages 2

Project Proposal: Lead Poisoning In Elementary Schools

survey with basic demographic questions and questions about their experiences with lead testing…

Words 541 - Pages 3

Argumentative Essay On Fast Food

Family who are use to eating at fast food restaurants should rethink what they are putting in their mouths before its to late. Fast food is not something that families should rely to for a meals because It cause many health issues such as Food Poisoning, Heart conditions, and Unhealthy Weight. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/rachel-tepper Food poisoning could happen to anybody. However, it is more likely to get food poisoning if you eat at fast food restaurant. The article written by “Mercola-…

Words 814 - Pages 4

Water: Water and Lead Pipes Essay

more intense. However not all metals are good for our body, the pollution of lead in our water systems has devastating effects on our human body. How does lead get into our water systems in the first place? The most common way is through contact during construction and plumbing. Lead is considered as a point source type of pollution where the pollutant can be traced to a specific location, in this case lead piping. The lead “leaches” through water through the process of corrosion, which is the dissolving…

Words 1078 - Pages 5

What Unethical Behavior Was Involved?

Ethics ETH/316 1/01/13 David Cavazos Unethical Business Research This paper will cover a research institute who allegedly engaged in unethical research practices. What unethical research behavior was involved, who were the injured parties, how the unethical behavior affected the organization, the individual and society and how the unethical behavior can be avoided or resolved? One particular case that stands out is with a renowned institute call John Hopkins University, According to Rosner…

Words 456 - Pages 2

Ludwig Van Beethoven Essay

pain after another in his letters. I don’t know if he was mistreated by doctors, but they didn’t know very much in those days, compared to what they know now. Pouring hot oil into his ears: can you imagine what that must have felt like?” The early theories for his ailments, deafness and eventually death ranged from typhus, syphilis, and severe lead poisoning. The doctors of our time maintain that it might have been coronary disease or perhaps lupus. His health issues and cause of death remains a…

Words 1011 - Pages 5

White Fire Research Paper

sensational read that gets the readers on the edge of their seats. White Fire by: Preston & Child gives you a range of exhilarating emotions that make you wonder what happens next. It starts off with a stereotypical introduction with the main character and its background, but as the story turns, the novel becomes maniacal and you just cannot wait to see what happens next. The classic act of murder truly is portrayed in the novel. How? You say, well you’ll just have to read the novel, or read this research paper…

Words 1621 - Pages 7

Metaphorical Poison In Hamlet

motif of poison is literally and metaphorically portrayed through Claudius’ poisoning of the king and his empire, Laertes, Hamlet and Gertrude’s affiliated death as a result of poison, Hamlet’s poisoned conscience as a result of the emotional turmoil he endures, and finally, Ophelia’s distraught and poisoned mind leading to her eventual demise. Firstly, the most significant evidence of poison in the play is the poisoning of the late King Hamlet and consequently, of Denmark itself. Literal poison…

Words 727 - Pages 3