Lead Poisoning

LEAD POISONING

Lead poisoning is a toxic condition caused by excess lead or lead compounds in the body. A person can get lead poisoning from swallowing objects that contain lead or from inhaling lead dust or fumes. Some forms of lead can be absorbed through the skin. Lead is excreted very slowly and tends to accumulate in the body tissues, especially in the nervous system, bones, liver, pancreas, teeth, and gums. People can have a small amount of lead in their blood without getting sick, but when larger amounts of are ingested, the production of red blood cells is impaired, and normal body functions are disturbed. If a person has chronic lead poisoning this occurs slowly and cumulatively. If the lead poisoning is acute it occurs rapidly and can sometimes be ...