Lead Lead is a metal found naturally
in the earths crust. In nature, it
is found more often in chemical
compounds than as a pure
metal. When released into the
air, it may travel long distances
before settling to the ground,
where it can contaminate water
and soil.
1

Lead has been used extensively
throughout human history
because it is easy both to
extract and to work with. Since
the time of the Roman Empire,
lead has been used in
everything from building
materials and cosmetics to pots
and pans and coloring agents
for food. In 1921, General
Motors pioneered the addition of
lead to gasoline to make cars
run more efficiently.
2
Even
though adverse health effects
began to be noticed soon after,
the United States did not begin
to phase out the use of lead in
gasoline until 1980. Since 1996,
its use as a fuel additive has
been banned.
The use of lead in paints,
ceramics and pipe solder has
also been reduced because of
health concerns. It was banned
in house paint, on products
marketed to children and in
dishes or cookware made in the
United States in 1978.
3

Unfortunately, lead may still be
found in items manufactured
outside the US, as seen in
recent toys recalls. Even within
the US, lead is still used in the
manufacturing of products such
as batteries, ammunition,
devices that provide protection
from X-rays
1
and plastics.
3

What is lead?
from the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative
December 2007
Practice
Prevention
Lead











The dangers of lead to the human brain
became increasingly clear in the 1970s,
leading to federal legislation restricting
its use in gasoline and paint. Exposure
of children to lead can be at many
levels. Lead passes through the
placenta during pregnancy and through
mothers milk during nursing. Children
are especially vulnerable because of
their small size and increasing possibility
of exposure from dust or paint chips.
The consequences of exposure include
learning disabilities, mental retardation,
decreased growth, ADHD and
behavioral disorders.
Despite these federal restrictions, lead
can still be found in peeling leaded paint
chips and dust in pre-1980 buildings, in
drinking water through plumbing
systems, and in many other sources,
such as toys, jewelry and lunchboxes,
discussed in this review. Children,
especially those in urban areas and
among lower socioeconomic groups, are
at greatest risk. But any child anywhere
can be exposed.
Do your part to minimize exposure of
your child to lead. This article will
provide the information you need to do
this as well as offer resources to go to
for greater details.
- Larry B. Silver, MD
Lead can affect almost every
organ and system in your body,
but the main target for lead
toxicity is the nervous system.
High levels of lead in children
can lead to anemia, stomach
and kidney problems, muscle
weakness, brain damage and
ultimately death. Even very low
levels of exposure can affect a
childs mental and physical
growth.
1
Recent studies have
linked elevated blood-lead
levels in children with reduced
intelligence, slowed mental
development,
4
attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder,
5

increased risk for delinquency
and criminal behavior,
6

heightened risk of obesity
7
and
delayed onset of puberty.
8

The effects of lead poisoning
can vary greatly, depending on
the age of the person exposed
and the amount of the metal they
How does lead affect childrens health? Page 2
Lead
are exposed to. Children are more vulnerable to
lead poisoning than adults for two reasons: they are
more likely to be exposed to dangerous quantities
of lead, and their bodies are not as well-equipped
as those of adults to rid themselves of this toxic.
Children can absorb a higher percentage of the
lead that is swallowed (40 to 50 percent as
compared to three to 10 percent in adults), so
similar exposure levels for a parent and child may
lead to drastically different blood lead levels.
4
As
yet, there has been no measurable blood-lead level
considered safe for children.
4,9

The most common source of lead exposure for
children is lead-based paint that has deteriorated
into paint chips and lead dusts.
4
Houses built before
1978 most likely have been painted with lead-based
paint. Paint flakes or chips, or paint dust created
during scraping or renovating painted surfaces, can
be swallowed or inhaled by children. A single paint
chip the size of a staple can have enough lead to
bring a childs blood-lead level above 10
micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) the level at which
medical action is recommended by the CDC. Lead
has also been found in painted toys that are
manufactured outside the US and in metal charms
and other childrens jewelry.
Plastic toys, bibs, lunchboxes, miniblinds and
other vinyl objects may have lead added to
stabilize the plastic or to make it more flexible. Lead
is obviously a hazard in objects that children suck
on or put in their mouths, but in some cases, such
as in vinyl miniblinds, the plastic deteriorates from
exposure to sunlight and heat to form lead dust on
the surface of the object.
10
Children who touch the
dust and then put their fingers in their mouths can
be exposed to lead.
Plumbing systems which were constructed with
lead pipes or solder can also expose children to
lead through water. In houses where the plumbing
system has lead components, the first flush of water
which has been sitting in the pipes overnight may
have a particularly high concentration of lead.
1

Soil can be a significant source of lead exposure
for children who live or spend their time in buildings
or playgrounds that were near heavy traffic when
lead was added to gasoline.
11
Children can swallow
lead from the soil when eating or putting dirty
fingers or toys into their mouths. Soil lead can also
be carried indoors on shoes, clothes and toys from
outdoors or as dust through open windows. Lead
may be brought into the house through various
hobbies such as soldering glass or metal, making
bullets or glazing pottery.
2

Lead contaminates some imported candy,
especially from Mexico.
12
Lead has also been found
in some traditional (folk) medicines used by East
Indian, Indian, Middle Eastern, West Asian and
Hispanic cultures. Lead and other heavy metals
may be intentionally put into certain folk medicines
to treat some ailments, especially arthritis, infertility,
upset stomach, menstrual cramps and colic. There
is no way to tell by looking or tasting if a medicine
contains lead, and the person who sold the
medicine may not know whether lead was used in
the manufacture. The only way to know if a
medicine has lead is to have it tested in a
laboratory.
13

Lead may be found in a few cosmetics such as
kohl. Some of the red lipsticks manufactured in the
United States contain high levels of lead, according
to recent product tests conducted in several cities in
the US.
14
Lead acetate is also used as a color
additive in progressive hair dye products.
15

Lead can accumulate in the bones and teeth of
individuals who are exposed. Women who have
been exposed to lead at any time may have enough
lead in their bones and teeth to be toxic to their
children. During pregnancy, calcium from the
mother provides materials for the childs developing
bones. If the mother does not have a sufficient
supply of calcium in her diet, her own bones and
teeth may be resorbed to provide calcium. If the
mothers bones and teeth contain lead, this toxic
material may also be mobilized from her bones and
circulated to the developing child.
16

How can children be exposed to lead? Diet. Studies have shown that children who
consume a healthful and balanced diet full of
vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium and iron,
absorb less lead than those with an unhealthy
diet.
17
Good sources of these minerals are spinach,
broccoli, raisins, beans and low-fat dairy products.
Also help yourself or women you know get an
ample supply of calcium and iron, especially during
pregnancy