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Much of what is known about human lead toxicity and its effects is derived from animal studies. [39] Animals are used to test the effects of treatments, such as chelating agents, [308] and to provide information on the pathophysiology of lead, such as how it is absorbed and distributed in the body. [309]
Blood lead level (BLL), is a measure of the amount of lead in the blood. [1] [2] Lead is a toxic heavy metal and can cause neurological damage, especially among children, at any detectable level. High lead levels cause decreased vitamin D and haemoglobin synthesis as well as anemia, acute central nervous system disorders, and possibly death. [3]
Therefore, a common characteristic of toxic metals is the chronic nature of their toxicity. This is particularly notable with radioactive heavy metals such as radium, which imitates calcium to the point of being incorporated into human bone, although similar health implications are found in lead or mercury poisoning.
Lead is a potent neurotoxin whose toxicity has been recognized for at least thousands of years. [97] Though neurotoxic effects for lead are found in both adults and young children, the developing brain is particularly susceptible to lead-induced harm, effects which can include apoptosis and excitotoxicity. [97]
In the human body, lead inhibits porphobilinogen synthase and ferrochelatase, preventing both porphobilinogen formation and the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin IX, the final step in heme synthesis. This causes ineffective heme synthesis and microcytic anemia. [268] Symptoms of lead poisoning
Polonium in the body has a biological half-life of about 30 to 50 days. Caesium in the body has a biological half-life of about one to four months. Mercury (as methylmercury) in the body has a half-life of about 65 days. Lead in the blood has a half life of 28–36 days. [29] [30] Lead in bone has a biological half-life of about ten years.
Lead can have different effects on the body and effects the central nervous system. Someone who has come in contact with lead can have either acute or chronic lead poisoning. Those who experience acute poisoning have symptoms such as appetite, headache, hypertension, abdominal pain, renal dysfunction, fatigue, sleeplessness, arthritis ...
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. [1] Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ such as the liver (hepatotoxicity).