lead poisoning

lead poisoning, deleterious effect of a gradual accumulation of lead in body tissues, as a result of repeated exposure to lead-containing substances.

Causes and symptoms

In humans the main sources of lead are usually lead-based paint and drinking water carried through lead pipes; lead-based paints are especially harmful to children who chew on painted toys and furnishings and eat paint peelings from walls. Industries in which workers encounter lead-containing solids, dusts, or fumes include the petroleum industry, mining and smelting, printing, cutlery and storage-battery manufacture, plumbing and gas fitting, paint and pigment manufacture, and manufacture of ceramics, glass, and ammunition. Other possible sources of lead poisoning include the agricultural use of insecticides containing lead compounds; the spraying of fruits and vegetables may affect the workers and, eventually, the consumers.

In the mid-20th century, constant exposure to the exhaust fumes of motor vehicles powered by fuel containing tetraethyl lead became a significant cause of lead poisoning, especially in children. As a result, in the 1980s many countries initiated programs to phase out the use of lead additives such as tetraethyl lead in automobile gasoline. Nonetheless, in the 21st century lead poisoning continued to affect millions of children worldwide. In 2020 the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) estimated that globally as many as one-third of children had been exposed to unhealthy levels of lead; about half of affected children resided in South Asia. Lead from pipes, paint, gasoline, and consumer products, along with improper recycling of lead-acid batteries, were thought to be the primary sources of lead exposure.

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Symptoms of lead poisoning vary; they may develop gradually or appear suddenly after chronic exposure. The poison affects the entire body—especially the nervous system, the gastrointestinal tract, and the blood-forming tissues. The victim usually becomes pallid, moody, and irritable and may complain of a metallic taste. Digestion is deranged, the appetite fails, and there may be severe abdominal pain, with spasms of the abdominal muscles (“lead colic”) and constipation. A black line (“lead line”) may appear at the base of the gums. There is often anemia. In later stages, headache, dizziness, confusion, and visual disturbances may be noted. Peripheral nerve involvement results in a paralysis (“lead palsy”) that generally first affects the fingers, hands, and wrists (“wrist drop”). The most serious effects are seen in children under the age of six, in whom brain and nervous system development is still occurring. In these children, even a small amount of lead can result in permanent damage and loss of function of the affected area of the brain. Complications may occur, such as learning disabilities, slowed growth, blindness, deafness, and, in extreme cases, convulsions and coma ending in death. Brain injury may also occur in adults after massive exposure.

Susceptibility and treatment

Individual susceptibility to lead poisoning varies widely and depends not only on the extent of environmental or occupational exposure but also on certain genetic factors. For example, a variation that occurs in a gene known as ALAD (delta-aminolevulinate dehydratase) results in the production of an enzyme called ALAD2, which has an abnormally high binding affinity for lead. Both the normal enzyme, known as ALAD1, and the variant enzyme function in heme biosynthesis and therefore play an underlying role in the formation of red blood cells. In the presence of lead, however, the activity of either form of the enzyme is inhibited, and, following lead exposure, individuals with the variant enzyme frequently have significantly higher blood levels of the metal than persons with ALAD1. Though the precise physiological ramifications of this are not entirely clear, it is suspected that the excess binding of lead to ALAD2 prevents the metal from entering certain tissues in the body and thus alters the symptom pattern of lead poisoning. Since lead exposure alters the activity of the ALAD enzyme in general, evaluation of its activity can be used as a means of determining the extent of an individual’s exposure to lead.

Lead that has accumulated in tissues may be removed gradually with substances such as the calcium salts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and penicillamine. A lengthy treatment may be necessary, but recovery is usually complete, except when there is major involvement of the brain structures. Until the last half of the 20th century, damage to the brain caused by lead poisoning ended in death in about 25 percent of the cases; about half of those who survived showed some degree of permanent mental deterioration.

Lead poisoning in animals

Lead poisoning can also occur in animals. It often affects household pets, particularly dogs and birds; farm animals, including cattle, sheep, poultry, and horses; and wild animals, such as rodents, waterfowl, and raptors. Similar to humans, animals are predisposed to lead poisoning through exposure to lead-containing products, especially paint chips and improperly discarded oil, batteries, and grease. Waterfowl, such as geese and loons, sometimes ingest lead-based fishing sinkers and lead shot, and raptors may prey on lead-contaminated rodents. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lead poisoning is a particular threat to the Laysan albatross, large populations of which nest on Midway Atoll, where they ingest lead paint chips.

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Lead poisoning in animals manifests similarly to poisoning in humans, with the metal accumulating initially in soft tissues and later in bone. Damage to multiple organ systems, including the nervous, renal, and gastrointestinal systems, is common. Symptoms range from depression, lethargy, and loss of appetite to seizures, dehydration, bloody diarrhea, anemia, and death.