Ask A Scientist© General Science Archive

name         Nicole
status       student
age          16

Question -   I want to know what are the effects on the human body
when lead (PB)is found in a lot of the water we drink?

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Nicole,

Your local health department can provide the information you seek as well
as measures to be taken regarding lead in the environment. You could also
discover quite a lot of information just by typing "lead in water" into
your Internet browser search window. Have you checked the NEWTON archives?

Regards,
ProfHoff
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The deleterious effects of lead ingestion are quite well documented and are
so extensive that I suggest you the in lead toxicity into the web on a
search engine and go from there.  Lead poisoning is particularly bad in
infants and the young since it has a particularly pervasive effect on the
nervous system.  Chelating treatments if instituted early are reasonably
effective but the ingestion of just a quarter sized paint chip can cause
major problems ina  small child....lead tastes sweet!

pf
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Hello,

Lead poisoning has severe consequences for humans specially for children.
You can find much about this subject by doing as web search on "lead
poisoning." One source of information is the US EPA (www.epa.gov).

Paint, drinking water, and pollution seem to be the major sources of
lead.  The long term effects of lead poisoning in children include
learning disabilities, decreased growth, hyperactivity, impaired hearing,
and even brain damage. If caught early, these effects can be limited by
reducing exposure to lead or by medical treatment. Lead can pass through
mother to baby.

Adults could show a variety of symptoms ranging from weakness to fatigue
and paralysis, gastrointestinal diseases, high blood pressure, and a host
of nervous system ailments.

There are simple tests that can determine the lead level in the body;
hair, finger nail, or other body tissues can be used.  As a case in point,
a recent study at Argonne, using what is thought to be Beethoven's hair,
seem to suggest that the composer's ailments were due to lead poisoning.
Information on this should be available at WWW.ANL.GOV.

AK
--
Ali Khounsary, Ph.D.
Advanced Photon Source
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Lead poisoning can be symptomatic, or the symptoms may be ill-defined and
pervasive. The following website can give you a starting point to the answer
to your question:
http://www.bayinsider.com/shared/health/adam/ency/article/002473sym.html

Vince Calder
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