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Lead and Your Health: No Amount of Lead Is Safe, Even for Adults



Details

  • Corporate Authors:
    Wisconsin. Department of Health Services
  • Description:
    What is lead? Lead is a poisonous metal that can be found in common items like paint and fishing sinkers. Lead poisoning is caused by swallowing or breathing lead dust and fumes. Lead fumes and dust don't have a smell. Lead builds up in the body over time. Swallowing or breathing small amounts repeatedly can be harmful. A one-time large amount can also be harmful. How does lead make me sick? Lead can cause permanent harm, including brain and nerve damage, kidney failure, reproductive problems, and other health issues. Lead can harm your health before it causes any symptoms. How can my family be poisoned if I work near lead? Lead dust can settle on work clothes and you can bring it into your home. Lead is especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Change clothes and shoes before you leave work and shower if possible. What else can cause lead poisoning? Shooting bullets containing lead. Remodeling or renovation. Melting metal that has lead; for example, when casting bullets or fishing lures. Working with stained glass or pottery. Eating from leaded cookware. Drinking water with lead, usually due to lead pipes. Drinking other liquids that have lead in them. How can I find out if I have lead poisoning? A simple blood lead level (BLL) test can show if you have lead poisoning or not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says no one should have a blood lead level more than 3.5 µg/dL (test levels are measured in µg/dL). What is the best treatment? Your doctor can tell you what to do to lower the amount of lead in your body. The most important way to lower lead levels in your body is to remove yourself from the lead source. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Publisher:
    Wisconsin Department of Health Services
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Cooperative Agreement
  • Genre:
    Lay Publication
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    1-2
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20066603
  • Citation:
    Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, P-01738, 2022 Sep; :1-2
  • CAS Registry Number:
    Lead (CAS RN 7439-92-1)
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2022
  • Performing Organization:
    Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20150701
  • Source Full Name:
    Lead and your health: no amount of lead is safe, even for adults
  • End Date:
    20260630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:afae802e9ce8b5491f5a74eb0b54deacacbdfb1ca5dfc3635fe59f5e7df01186c5cee242777137aec452b6de91ca519751a54e1a4649b25e4735fc59e110c713
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 200.69 KB ]
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