Lead is considered to be a toxic heavy metal. It occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust. However, it tends to combine with other elements to form lead compounds. (Registry, 2011). Moreover, it has no known function in the body and with excess accumulation, either acute or chronic, will cause a wide array of metabolic dysfunctions by interfering with normal metabolic functions (Analytical Research Laboratories, 2012). From a historical standpoint, most human beings if not all have accumulated some lead in their bodies over the course of their daily lives. In extreme cases, that is, when there is too much lead in the body it is known to cause lead poisoning. In order to fully understand this phenomenon, one must first acknowledge; how lead enters the body, how it is distributed, and how and if it is eliminated. There are many contributing factors that enhance the amount of lead in the environment, for instance, environmental lead occurs from the burning of leaded gasoline, from battery and smelter industries and it’s also found in ink and paper. Additionally, many canned food products are sealed with lead solder (Analytical Research Laboratories, 2012). Due to the vast quantity of lead found in the environment, exposure is inevitable. On the contrary, there are three main ways in which lead can enter the body: inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin. It may be inhaled when it is burned or melted, releasing some of the lead as a fume and or when dust that contains lead becomes airborne. In terms of ingestion, lead may be ingested through drinking water, when dust particles containing lead come in contact with food or food preparation surfaces, etc. In particular cases that inv... ... middle of paper ... ...te in the bone, with a half-life of years to decades (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Hence, individuals who are exposed to lead for long period of time will have high levels of lead present in there bone as compared to their blood and soft tissues. In continuation, the lead that is not accumulate in the bone if secreted via the urine, approximately 70% of the time. Whereas to a lesser extent elimination also occurs via feces, sweat, hair and nails. (Leggett et al. 1993). Nevertheless, this paper will focus on the comparing two significantly different ingestion rate of lead in the body (blood, soft tissue and bone) from a mathematically standpoint. In other words to proceed with the comparison a variety of time intervals (both short and long time) will be taken into consideration to graphically illustrate the accumulation of lead in the body.
This is why the Flint water crisis is so critical today. Because young children are being exposed to lead and they should actually be screened from the lead. The pipelines with lead in the water system and the whole community of Flint, not being able to drink water out of the facet as well as not being able to
Question: In considering the monetary estimates of childhood lead poisoning prevention, list and note the relative importance of the categories of costs and benefits that need to be considered is projecting a cost/benefit ratio. Use a standard housing remediation approach for those expenses. Where does the balance lay? What are the options and barriers to moving it forward?General Effects of Childhood Lead Poisoning When lead in inhaled it, the lead could be deposited in the bones where some essential body function occurs e.g. blood formations, calcium absorption. Lead is also transported in blood stream and deposited in muscle and nerves and blood vessels. The deposition of lead in these organs systems eventually results in the malfunctioning of these organs. These malfunctions could include decrease in bone and muscle growth/co-ordination, damage to the nervous system and other organs of the body. (KidsHealth, 1995-2010) The above mentioned effects could also impair breakdown and use of nutrients by the body, decreased hearing ability. In addition, it affects child growth, in the sense that it has been shown that children with higher blood lead levels may on average be shorter than their genetic potential by 1cm.Effect of Lead on cognition and Behavior of Children: Lead poisoning have been identified as one of the factors responsible for cognitive deficits and mental illness among children. There has been shown a correlation between Blood Lead Level and cognitive functioning in children and infant (Bruce P. Lanphear, 2005). Bruce P et al in a study of Low-level environmental lead exposure and children's intellectual function, showed an inverse relationship between blood lead concentrations and IQ score...
When lead enters the environment, it starts to become a problem. After a period of about ten days, depending on the weather, it falls to the surface. Here lead builds up in the soil particles. Where it may make its way into underground water or drinking water due to the fact the grounds acidic or if it's soft enough. Either way it stays a long time on the soil or in water. Months or years down the road after the lead has built up it starts to become a problem for children that play outside of their homes . This lead containing soil particles get on the child's hands or clothing and end up in the child's mouth. After the build up of so much lead it leads to lead poison. Lead poisoning has been an issue since the early 1900s, when the use of lead started being banned from the manufacturing of paint in foreign countries such as Australia. Unfortunately, the United States did not start banning it until 1978, when it finally became illegal in our nation. Today 90% of the lead in the atmosphere comes from the burning of gasoline. This problem has been a large issue since the 1920s, when the Environmental Protection Agency started making laws on the amount of lead allowed in gasoline.
The main theme of the book is that we expose ourselves to dangerous chemicals from using common household products for cleaning and hygienic products. However, the real danger of using these chemicals is that most of our society doesn’t know the potential health effects and outcomes one is facing. Environmental health addresses all the physical, chemical and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviors. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially can affect our health.(World Health Organization). The theme of the book is relevant to environmental health because the authors are assessing their exposure to these dangerous chemicals that are found in the products that we use to continue with our daily lives. They publish their results and find that phthalates, PFOA and PCBs are both dangerous to human health and the environment.
Breast cancer is the second leading cancer to cause death in women. A combination of factors contributes to the etiology of breast cancer, such as genetic and environmental dynamics [ACS, 2014]. One particular area of interest is the study of metalloestrogens, which are inorganic compounds that can bind to the estrogen receptor and mimic the biological functions of estrogen in breast cancer cells. Arsenic is one such metalloestrogen and has been classified as carcinogenic to humans [IARC]. Studies in humans have shown that long-term exposure to arsenic is associated with bladder, kidney, lung and liver cancers [1,2,3]. Arsenic exposure has also been correlated with an increase in the incidence of breast cancer [4]. People can be exposed to arsenic in different settings such as in the workplace, in drinking water or from medical treatments. Through these methods of exposure, various mechanisms of internalization can take place through inhalation, ingestion, or through skin contact. We hypothesize that prolonged arsenic exposure results in the expression of genes that promote breast cancer progression. In this study, we propose to investigate the effect of prolonged arsenic exposure on gene expression, by comparing the global gene expression of a breast cancer cell line that has been chronically exposed to low-dose arsenic with that of a control cell line. Genes found to be differentially expressed in arsenic adapted cells will be examined further. We also aim to extend our understanding of the direct effect of arsenic, by studying the signal pathway that results in gene expression when arsenic binds to the estrogen receptor.
Huddie William Ledbetter also known as "Leadbelly" was an American folk singer and blues musical, most famous for his strong prominent vocals and his ability to play thetwelve-string guitar. Leadbellys astounding ability to play the guitar combined with his personal life experiences provided the foundation for his musical career. He also wrote about mainstream culture and black culture in general to express feelings of anger, sadness, and expose the wrongdoings of American society against blacks.
d) Regularly clean floors and window components with water, because dust can get accumulated and act as a source of lead poisoning. Take shoes off when entering the house to prevent bringing lead contaminated soil in from outside.
Once used for varying applications, lead is now known for its toxicity in the human body. Dr. Gary Goldstein, the chief executive of Kennedy Krieger Institute wrote, “Exposure to excessive amounts of inorganic lead during toddler years may produce lasting adverse effects upon brain function (Goldstein 1990).” Lead poisoning awareness has become increasingly prevalent in the American government, with lead poisoning testing recommended as early as nine to twelve months of age (Health and Human Services 2011). This paper will explain briefly lead’s history and industrial uses, as well as give an in-depth analysis on lead’s exposure to children and how it affects their developing brains.
A huge fascination of arsenic started in the 19th century when people got word of a province in southeastern Austria where people ate arsenic. Women would eat arsenic to help gain weight and fix their complexion to look more beautiful and men would eat arsenic because they believed it helped them breath easier when they were climbing high up in the mountains. One doctor by the name of Dr. Robert Craig MacLagan, was particularly interested in this and visited the town to see for himself what was really occurring. He observed the people and tested their urine to prove that they have been indeed ingesting arsenic. He wrote about the things he witnessed in the Edinburgh Medical Journal. The men in the town would eat 6 grains/dose at least twice a week, sometimes eating it on their bread or just drinking it with their water. As a result many Victorians began self-medicating themselves with arsenic.
... in inhabitants living close to smelters and arsenical chemical factories. Citizens who live near waste sites with arsenic may have an increased risk of lung cancer as well.
Exposure to lead can be in the form of lead dust ingestion, swallowing of lead paint chips, inhalation of lead contaminated air, and eating food or drinking water that is contaminated with lead (Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, 2014). Also, high concentration of lead in the human’s blood can have adverse effect on one’s health and wellness.
Wagner, H. M. Recent Trends In Human Lead Exposure. New Horizons in Biological Dosimetry, 1991, pp. 179-186.
Mroszczyk (2012) references that human health effects caused by exposure to toxic substances fall into two categories: short term and long term effects. Short term effects (or acute effects) have a relatively quick onset (usually minutes to days) after brief exposures to relatively high concentrations of material (acute exposures). Goetsch (2011) furthermore states that the effect may be local or systemic. Local effects occur at the site of contact between the toxicant and the body. This site is
When it comes to the children levels of lead in the body can affect behavior problems, the learning capabilities, growth, hearing problems and anemia. If lead is digested it can cause seizures and in worst-case scenarios of death. Short-term exposure to high levels of lead can cause abdominal pain, and vomiting. Whereas chronic low-level exposure can cause retarded cognitive and intellectual development in children. Infant, young children and fetus are more sensitive to toxic effects of lead, especially in regard to the damages to their central nervous system. The affect that lead has on animals is that it inhibits their ability to synthesize red blood cells. The affect that lead has on plants is that lead pollution coats the surface of the leaf and reduces the amount of light reaching it. This results in stunting the growth or killing the plants by reducing the rate of photosynthesis, inhibiting respiration, encouraging an elongation of plant cells influencing root development. As for the affect on micro- organisms is that lead at the concentrations found near roadsides can wipe out the bacteria and fungi on surfaces and soil, as microorganisms play a huge part in the food