Lead - How Lead
Affects the Way We Live & Breathe
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Published by
the US EPA
Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards
November 2000
Levels of the pollutant - "lead" - in the air have decreased
dramatically since 1978, primarily due to reductions in emissions from
cars and trucks. Today, metal processing plants are generally
responsible for most of the lead in the air.
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Lead is a metal found naturally in the environment as
well
as in manufactured products. The major sources of lead emissions have
historically been motor vehicles (such as cars and trucks) and
industrial sources. Due to the phase out of leaded gasoline, metals
processing is the major source of lead emissions to the air today. The
highest levels of lead in air are generally found near lead smelters.
Other stationary sources are waste incinerators, utilities, and
lead-acid battery manufacturers.
[Courtesy of EPA - Environmental Protection Agency] |
Lead. . .
- particularly affects young children and infants
- is still found at high levels in urban and industrial areas
- deposits on soil and water and harms animals and fish
Children are at greatest risk
Although overall blood lead levels have decreased since 1976, infants
and young children still have the highest blood lead levels. Children
and others can be exposed to lead not only through the air, but also
through accidentally or intentionally eating soil or paint chips, as
well as food or water contaminated with lead.
![incinerator stack [courtesy of EPA - Environmental Protection Agency]](images/stack.jpg) |
High levels of lead are
still of concern in localized areas.
Urban areas with high levels of traffic, trash incinerators, or
other industry, as well as areas near lead smelters, battery
plants, or industrial facilities that burn fuel, may still have
high lead levels in air. In 1999, ten areas of the country did
not meet the national health-based air quality standards for lead.
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People, animals, and fish are mainly exposed to
lead by breathing and ingesting it in
food, water, soil, or dust. Lead accumulates in the blood, bones,
muscles, and fat. Infants and young children are especially sensitive
to even low levels of lead.
[courtesy of EPA] |
Damages organs - Lead
causes damage to the kidneys, liver, brain and nerves, and other
organs. Exposure to lead may also lead to osteoporosis (brittle
bone disease) and reproductive disorders. |
[courtesy of EPA] |
Affects the brain and
nerves - Excessive exposure to lead causes seizures, mental
retardation, behavioral disorders, memory problems, and mood
changes. Low levels of lead damage the brain and nerves in fetuses
and young children, resulting in learning deficits and lowered IQ. |
[courtesy of EPA] |
Affects the heart and
blood - Lead exposure causes high blood pressure and increases
heart disease, especially in men. Lead exposure may also lead to
anemia, or weak blood. |
[courtesy of EPA] |
Affects animals and
plants - Wild and domestic animals can ingest lead while
grazing. They experience the same kind of effects as people who
are exposed to lead. Low concentrations of lead can slow down
vegetation growth near industrial facilities. |
[courtesy of EPA] |
Affects fish - Lead
can enter water systems through runoff and from sewage and
industrial waste streams. Elevated levels of lead in the water can
cause reproductive damage in some aquatic life and cause blood and
neurological changes in fish and other animals that live there. |
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Reference:
Urban Air - Lead. |
![urban area [courtesy of EPA - Environmental Protection Agency]](images/urban.jpg)
