Heavy Metals

Lead is a very toxic metal and is naturally found in the Earth. I didn't realize how far back populations were being poisoned by lead. I was surprised to learn that the fall of Rome may have been partly due to lead poisoning. It was also surprising to find out that lead tastes sweet and had been used as an additive in wine. It's hard to believe how far back lead poisoning was described but that it took until relatively recently to really ban it's use in everyday products such as gasoline and paint. The adverse effects of lead poisoning is wide spread - it seems it effects almost every organ in the human body. Luckily, once the exposure is removed, the blood levels of lead go down.
We need to continue to ensure that people, especially pregnant woman and children, are not exposed to lead. This is still true in the US where many older home contain lead pipes or lead paint. This is very important in other countries where they may not know or understand the risks of lead exposure. The article about the severe outbreak of childhood lead poisoning in Nigeria really made this clear.

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 11, 2018 at 2:02 AM

    Thank you for sharing some interesting facts about lead that I never knew. This again is a chemical that needs more attention. I know that water plants in our counties test for lead levels, and even offer the free inspections, but again this is something that I don't think enough families are staying aware of because like you mention, it is everywhere. Someone needs to create an app for our phones that can detect it in some way, or at least share information on where it is found mostly as a reminder.

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