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Lead Poisoning - Lead Poisoning symptom, treatment, causes

Lead Poisoning is mainly occurs due to the damage to the nervous system, red blood cells and digestive system caused by the accumulation of lead in the body. The lead may come from lead fumes (inhaled from leaded petrol, smoke from burning painted wood or battery cases, or lead- contaminated dust). swallowing lead salts (in leaded paint chips or food stored in improperly glazed pottery), or lead objects retained in the body (shot pellets, or weights for fishing or curtains).

Lead poisoning is one of the most common environmental child health problems in the United States and is caused by too much lead in the body. Generally, lead poisoning occurs slowly, resulting from the gradual accumulation of lead in bone and tissue after repeated exposure. During the 1970s, lead in gasoline caused severe brain damage in thousands of children. Today, lead-based paint is the most common source of lead poisoning in children. This dust coats the objects that curious children put in their mouths. Deteriorated lead-based paint in older homes and high levels of lead-contaminated house dust are the most common sources of lead poisoning in U.S. children. Lead paint is present in an estimated 24 million U.S. homes. More than 4 million of these are homes to one or more young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sometimes they eat old paint chips. Large amounts of lead in a child's blood can cause brain damage, mental retardation, behavior problems, anemia, liver and kidney damage, hearing loss, hyperactivity, developmental delays, other physical and mental problems, and in extreme cases, death.

Lead poisoning occurs when you absorb too much lead by breathing or swallowing a substance with lead in it, such as food, dust, paint, or water. Lead is especially harmful to children younger than 6, but anyone who eats, drinks or breathes something which has too much lead can get lead poisoning. In adults, lead poisoning can cause serious health problems, including high blood pressure and damage to the brain, nervous system , stomach, and kidneys. Lead poisoning may go undetected because frequently there are no obvious signs or symptoms. By removing or avoiding lead sources or with early detection and treatment, you can prevent or limit the harmful effects of lead poisoning.

Causes of Lead Poisoning

The common Causes of Lead Poisoning :

• Eating lead-based paint chips.
• Taking in dust that has lead in it, usually in an older home. Children can be poisoned if they put their hands in their mouth after touching something dusty (such as a toy).
• Playing in dirt or sand near an old building or a place where an old building has been torn down. Dirt could have lead in it as far as 10 feet from the site. Children who have it on their hands and toys could get it in their mouths.
• Breathing dust from lead-based paint as it is sanded off or removed.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning is a chronic disorder that may be punctuated by recurring acute bouts of symptoms. In adults, symptoms characteristically develop over several weeks, starting with personality change and progressing to headache, a metallic taste in the mouth, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation and colicky abdominal pain. A bluish grey line may be seen along the gum margins. In young children the onset of symptoms is usually sudden. with the development over 1 to 5 days of persistent and forceful vomiting, staggering, corivulsions, drowsiness and confusion, and eventually coma. Some Symptoms of Lead Poisoning :

• Irritability.
• Constipation.
• Difficulty sleeping.
• Headaches.
• Low appetite and energy .
• Memory loss.
• Anemia.
• Weight loss.
• Muscular weakness.

Treatment of Lead Poisoning

Excess lead can be removed from the body by giving chelating agents, drugs that bind with heavy metals such as lead to enable them to be excreted in the urine. Lead poisoning has become relatively rare since the introduction of lead free paint and petrol, and industrial hygiene measures to reduce the contamination of soil and water with excessive lead

• Your child's blood will be tested for lead. If any lead is found, more tests will be taken and your child may be given medication.
• Blood tests are the only way to know if your child has been poisoned.
• Keep your home as dust free as possible.
• Offering children healthy snacks, such as fruit or pretzels, throughout the day so they will not put non-food items into their mouths.
• If your child has lead poisoning, a public health worker will teach you how to make your home safe.
• If imported wine containers have a lead foil wrapper, wipe the rim and neck of the bottle with a towel moistened with lemon juice, vinegar, or wine before using.