Coming Into Contact With Lead Essay

The lead in the environment is formed naturally in the earth’s crust mainly as Lead Sulphide. The main exposure channels of lead entering the environment through atmospheric lead is predominantly from automobile emissions. Other lead exposure routes include lead-acid batteries, paint chips, fertilizers, utilized ammunition, pesticides, and other industrial byproducts. The means of conveying lead from key emission sources is mainly through the air. Concerning the sources of lead in drinking water, normally lead reaches into the residents’ water after it is channeled from their water treatment plant or the wells. To be more precise, the source of lead in people’s water supply largely emanates from their households’ pipes or lead solder from plumbing. The most typical cause of the lead formation is from the corrosion reaction by the lead pipes or solders and the water. The acidity as a result of the low pH, dissolved oxygen, and little mineral contents in the water are main reasons of the corrosion. The lead amounts in the water become high if the water spends a long duration of time stagnated inside the old pipes.

Children under six years old are very easily affected to the effects of lead. Even low levels of lead in the blood of children can result in: behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing Problems and anemia; lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. For pregnant women, during pregnancy, lead is released from bones as maternal calcium and is used to help form the bones of the fetus. This is particularly true if a woman does not have enough dietary calcium. Lead can also cross the placental barrier exposing the fetus the lead. So lead can cause serious effects to the mother and her developing fetus, including: reduced growth of the fetus and premature birth. And for other adults, lead can also be harmful, it can cause cardiovascular effects, increased blood pressure and incidence of hypertension, decreased kidney function, and reproductive problems in both men and

Similarly, in the article, The Need for Vigilance: the Persistence of Lead Poisoning in Children published in Pediatrics, a peer-review journal, the authors write the article with the intent of reiterating the need for medical professionals to remain vigilant with the accurate treatment of lead poisoning. The article in Pediatrics is written by doctors for clinical professionals and is based upon a report of "a case of lead poisoning associated with ingestion of a toy necklace in a 4-year-old child" (Florin, T., Brent, R., &

Everyone is susceptible to the dangers of lead contamination; but children are especially at risk. High levels of lead in children can lead to brain and kidney damage and damage to red blood cells. Low levels of lead can also cause problems that are less life-threatening but can be just as devastating, like low IQ, hearing and language impairment, reduced attention span and poor school performance. In adults, exposure to lead can lead to an increased risk for high blood pressure. Pregnant women and their fetuses are extremely vulnerable to lead. In women, lead increases the risk of infertility and miscarriages; in fetuses, lead can cause low birth weight, premature birth and impaired mental and physical development.

The major sources of lead here were gasoline, paint chips and water from old plumbing. After lead was removed from gasoline and paint, blood lead levels (BLL) in children decreased on average from 16 mcg/dL to less than 3 mcg/dL. Residual lead persists in the environment, however. A toxic level is currently defined as 5 mcg/dL. In U.S. children age 1-5, the prevalence of BLLs >10 mcg/dL decreased from 88% to 4.4% between 1976 and 1994 and further dropped to 0.8% by 2010. Yet there are still almost half a million children in the U.S. with levels >5

Health officials agree that no amount of exposure to lead is safe, be it from water, the air, old paint, or dirt. Even the smallest of amounts can lead to irreversible cognitive and developmental damage, especially in younger children.

This information can be gathered by examining the overall consumption of tap water by age in the United States, and more specifically toddler and infant ages where lead is most dangerous to consume. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average child ranging from 6 to 11 months consumes an average of .20 L/day of tap water, and the average 2 year old consumes .50 L/day of tap water in the United States. This information suggests that an infant or toddler living in a home with lead soldered pipes may consume up a frequency of .20 to .50 L/day of lead contaminated water which can lead to adverse effects for the development of those

The improved screening and treatment of lead poisoning decreased the severity of symptoms usually seen. However, the level of lead in the blood does not establish what symptoms are seen, since lead in blood only establishes current exposure. Recently, studies have shown that a long exposure to low amounts of lead may have severe neurobehavioral effects that are not diagnosed until the child enters school (Singhal et. al., 1980).

Chronic lead poisoning in children may cause intellectual disability, seizure disorders, aggressive behavior disorders, developmental regression, chronic abdominal pain, and

Postnatal sources of lead to the developing infant are also of consequence. Excessive lead concentrations in the atmosphere and diet are significant areas for possible lead toxicity. In particular, children who reside in inner city areas or near metal mining facilities are at a higher risk of lead

Lead can cause many things such as cancer, strokes, kidney disease, memory problems, high blood pressure,premature birth, reduced birth weight, seizures, hearing loss, brain damage, behavior problems, learning disabilities, and lower IQ for six and up.We can fix this problem by removing lead base pipes, removing lead in paints, making sure our houses and pipes are in good shape, and finally lead tests.If we don't stop lead and drinking water now, then we will get sick or possibly a chance of Sertain death, or the other way with our family members.

* This website gives information on everything needed to know about lead and how to prevent poisoning.

The media broadcasts stereotypes to its viewers embedding the images in their minds, creating this idea that all people in the group are the same. I believe many stereotypes are passes on from generation to generation by depictions of racial and ethnic groups that young children in the media. The news and reality television are the biggest perpetuators of these stereotypes. Stereotypes impact the perceptions people have on one another and can affect the way they are treated. I watched Love and Hip Hop Hollywood and the Local News.

The factors that should be included to determine the magnitude of risk to human health from lead within a population would be to consider the effect of lead dose exposer within children and adults and the exposer of lead to a population living in low socioeconomic areas. Lead is exposed through food (canned), water, air, soil, dust, petrol, paint etc. High exposer of lead could damage almost all organ systems which include; Central Nervous System, anaemia, kidney damage and could lead to death. Low levels of lead exposer could indicate health problems such as decreased haemoglobin, vitamin D, central nervous system and growth (Tong, Schirnding & Prapamontol, 2000). Research shows that high blood lead levels is associated with environmental

The high school I attended in Hawaii was largely underfunded and did not have the materials necessary to help prepare me for college. In fact, my old high school holds a college readiness index score of 8.7 out of 100 on US News & World Report. Once I recognized that I was in a poor learning environment, I seized an opportunity to transfer from Konawaena High School to Garfield High School (Seattle) in order to better position myself for college. Subsequent to transferring, I enrolled in Running Start courses at Seattle Central College and sought out help to plot my next steps. In addition to applying to several Colleges I was compelled to apply for scholarships, which paid off because I am now a recipient of the Gates Millennium Scholarship.