By Derrick Obiye Mokaya
In our day-to-day activities, an invisible threat lurks on layers of aging surfaces and chipped paints that can cause serious health issues when consumed or inhaled by people. Lead poisoning occurs when the consumed or inhaled lead builds up in the body often over months or years.
Lead is a naturally occurring heavy metal used throughout human history in petrol, fishing weights, paint, batteries, makeup, pipes, and others. It is a dense, bluish-gray metal known for its softness, malleability, and resistance to corrosion.
Lead contamination has detrimental effects on the environment. It can enter soil and water through various sources, such as mining, smelting, and waste incineration. Once in the environment, lead can persist for a long time and accumulate in the food chain.
The World Health Organization (WHO) takes lead poisoning very seriously due to its significant health impacts. Lead exposure is a significant global public health concern, contributing to more than 1.5 million deaths annually due to cardiovascular and other health impacts. WHO has developed guidelines for the clinical management of lead exposure, providing evidence-based recommendations for healthcare providers to diagnose and treat lead poisoning.
Lead is a toxic metal that can cause serious health issues when humans are exposed to it. It can enter the body by inhaling lead-contaminated dust or fumes, ingesting lead-contaminated water or food, or through skin contact. Once in the body, lead can accumulate in the bones, blood, and other organs. It can cause a range of health problems, including.
Neurological Effects: Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children, as it can affect brain development, leading to learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and lower.
Kidney Damage: Chronic exposure to lead can damage the kidneys, affecting their ability to filter waste from the blood.
Reproductive Issues: Lead can affect both male and female reproductive systems, leading to reduced fertility and complications during pregnancy.
Cardiovascular Problems: Lead exposure can increase blood pressure and cause heart disease.
The risk is higher for children due to their playful nature to come into contact with lead surfaced- materials with the tendency to put things in their mouth and can cause serious harm if accumulates in plenty to them.
Research by the Havard Research Association indicates that more than half of children tested across the United States have detectable levels of lead in their blood. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reduced the blood lead reference value to identify high-risk patients more accurately.
Some other general effects of lead poisoning are mood disorders in adults, interferes with the production of hemoglobin leading to anemia, high blood pressure, reduced sperm count in males, it can cause abdominal pain, constipation, and cramping or more or less lead poisoning can lead to general weakness and pain in the joints and muscles.
The burden of lead exposure is not evenly distributed. Black, low-income, and immigrant populations are more likely to have elevated lead levels compared to the national average as studies show from Havard researchers.
Prevention of lead poisoning requires vigilance and proactive measures to curb it. One major prevention is to avoid using lead-based products like paints. Other preventive measures are disposing of electronics in designated bins, recycling batteries properly, washing children`s hands after playing, checking your drinking water for lead, removing shoes before entering the house, wet-wipe floors, windowsills, and other surfaces to reduce lead dust, have young children tested for lead exposure, especially if they live in or regularly visit older homes and test your home for lead in paint, dust, and soil if you suspect contamination.
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