Mechanisms and Effects of Lead Poisoning

Lead interferes with normal cell function and physiological processes by competing with other minerals for a place in cellular systems. Calcium, for example, is normally stored in bone cells and plays a key role in activating neurotransmitters, facilitating message transmission in the brain and nervous system. Lead mimics and replaces calcium: it has an even greater binding affinity than calcium for bone cell storage locations, and small quantities of lead can replace larger quantities of calcium in neurotransmitter-releasing reactions, disrupting the normal rate of reaction and damaging the central nervous system.

Lead's ability to masquerade as other minerals makes it capable of disrupting nearly every system in the human body. It circulates in the blood stream, lodges in bone and teeth, and permeates brain, liver, kidney, and other soft tissues, leading to an astonishing range of symptoms and disorders. Even low lead levels in children can cause nervous system and kidney damage, learning disabilities, language delays, behavioral disorders, stunted muscle and bone growth, hearing damage, impaired coordination, and other physical, mental, and emotional setbacks. Treatments like chelation can remove lead from the blood more rapidly, but cannot undo the complex systemic damage caused by even low level exposure. Furthermore, lead's binding affinity makes it difficult to dislodge from the skeleton: once absorbed by a child's bones, lead becomes a long-term hazard, capable of being re-released in later life and causing new rounds of injury to the nervous, digestive, renal, and reproductive systems.

SOURCE: CDC NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, Prevent Childhood Lead Poisoning

SOURCE: CDC NATIONAL CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, Educational Interventions for Children Affected by Lead

The effects of childhood lead poisoning are devastating and permanent, necessitating a lifetime of educational and emotional support. If your child has tested positive for lead poisoning, contact our experienced lead poisoning lawyers by filling out the form on this website or calling 1-800-475-3364.