How lead affects a child’s body

What exactly does lead do to a developing body? Here are the highlights:

by Staff

Published Nov. 1, 2016, 12:33 p.m. ET

If you missed The Inquirer's big report this weekend on lead poisoning in Philadelphia kids, you can catch up at philly.com/toxiccity.

But what exactly does lead do to a developing body? Here are the highlights:

Brain
Exposure to lead can result in brain damage and has been linked to lowered IQ, ADHD, hearing loss, blindness, and damaged nerves. Acute exposure can cause convulsions, loss of body movement, coma, stupor, hyperirritability, and even death.

Heart and Blood
Studies suggest that adults who endured lead poisoning as children had significantly higher risks of high blood pressure 50 years later. Lead inhibits the body's ability to make hemoglobin, which can lead to anemia. This reduces oxygen flow to organs, causing fatigue, lightheadedness, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

Stomach and Kidneys
Severe lead exposure can create intense abdominal pain and cramping. Chronic exposure can cause chronic inflammation, which can lead to kidney failure, bloody urine, fever, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, coma, weight gain, confusion, rash, and urinary changes.

Reproductive System
A moderate exposure cannot only lower sperm count, but can also damage them. Chronic exposure can diminish the concentration, total count, and motility of sperm, though it's unclear how long these effects last after the exposure ends.

Bones
Lead may impair development and the health of bones, which can slow growth in children.

SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control; Pa. Dept. of Health