Patricia
Lead poisoning is a health condition that develops when lead builds up in your body over a few months or even years. Even a small amount of lead build-up in your organism can provoke serious health issues, and if you don’t treat it right away, it can be fatal. If you think you or a loved one is experiencing lead exposure symptoms, continue reading to find out what they are exactly and how to take preventative measures.
Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Adults
Lead poisoning can manifest in different symptoms, depending on each person. However, it usually builds up gradually, and symptoms appear long after exposure.
Some of the most physical symptoms include abdominal pain, cramps, severe headaches, fatigue, high blood pressure, constipation, and kidney dysfunction. Yet, it can also cause neurological and psychological issues such as aggressive behavior, irritability, and memory loss. In some cases, people experience numbness and anemia as well.
Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Children
Lead can be even more detrimental in children because a child’s brain is still developing. It can provoke intellectual disabilities, such as a low IQ, behavioral issues, short-term and long-term learning problems, and delayed growth.
A high and toxic dose of lead poisoning causes more serious symptoms. If you’re experiencing severe abdominal pain, vomiting, seizures, encephalopathy, trouble walking, and muscle weakness, then you should visit the emergency room right away.
Causes For Lead Poisoning
You can get lead poisoning if you ingest it by breathing in air or dust that might contain lead. Lead doesn’t have a scent or taste, and it isn’t visible either. Yet, lead is nearly everywhere.
For example, lead was very common in standard house paint and gasoline in the United States. However, they no longer use lead when making these products.
You can still find lead in some paint supplies, pipes, and sink faucets, which later contaminate water with lead. In addition, some fish sinkers, curtain weights, bullets, toys fabricated outside of the US, and paint found in old buildings might still contain lead. You can even find lead in some kajal or kohl eyeliners and traditional ethnic medicines, so be sure to always read the ingredients in these products before using them.
Who’s at Risk?
Everyone is at risk of suffering from lead poisoning. However, children have a higher risk, especially if they’re exposed to it regularly. They are also more susceptible to this since they tend to put their fingers and objects into their mouths.
Preventative Measures You Can Take
You can take certain measures to prevent you or any other family member from catching lead poisoning. For example, if you have children, make sure to wash their hands and toys often. This will help reduce the hand-to-mouth transfer.
You should also keep your house as clean as you can by regularly dusting off surfaces and having guests remove their shoes before coming into your home. Plus, make sure to check your home every so often to ensure there are no signs of peeling paint.
And the best way you can prevent lead poisoning is by increasing your knowledge of it. You can take an osha lead awareness training program that’ll give you more insight into fully protecting yourself.
Lead Exposure Symptoms—Explained
Now that you know everything about lead exposure symptoms, you can start taking the right, care measures to protect both you and your loved ones. If you think you or your loved one might be dealing with lead poisoning, visit a doctor right away. If you’d like to keep learning about similar subjects, keep reading through our blog.
