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LEAD POISONING
THROUGHOUT HISTORY
Presentation by :

Pavanesh

Simon

Tarven

Meera
Lead
LeadPoisoning
has no known biological
function.
There is no proven safe lower
limit for lead.
Lead Pb++, competes with
Ca++, Fe++
It is cheap, useful, easy to mine,
therefore
Lead is ubiquitous- in air, food,
water, soil, ceilings etc.
Leaded petrol means that all
environmental dusts are high in
lead-contaminating ceiling dust,
 Introduction

The danger to public health from lead in the

environment continues to be a matter of concern, for
subtle effects of the element on intelligence quotient
and blood pressure have potentially widespread
significance. Acute intoxication occurs sporadically,
and when it does, the source of lead is commonly in
the household. we report three cases of lead
poisoning caused by old leaded paint, and review the
sources and the management of this form of heavy
metal poisoning.
 Case 1
Dozens of California communities have experienced recent rates of childhood lead
poisoning that surpass those of Flint, Michigan, with one Fresno locale showing rates
nearly three times higher, blood testing data obtained by Reuters shows.

The data shows how lead poisoning affects even a state known for its environmental
advocacy, with high rates of childhood exposure found in a swath of the Bay Area and
downtown Los Angeles. And the figures show that, despite national strides in
eliminating lead-based products, hazards remain in areas far from the Rust Belt or
East Coast regions filled with old housing and legacy industry.

In one central Fresno zip code, 13.6 percent of blood tests on children under six
years old came back high for lead. That compares to 5 percent across the city of
Flint during its recent water contamination crisis. In all, Reuters found at least 29
Golden State neighborhoods where children had elevated lead tests at rates at least
as high as in Flint.

Its a widespread problem and we have to get a better idea of where the sources of
exposure are, said California Assembly member Bill Quirk, who chairs the state
legislatures Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials.
 Chronology of the event

Lead poisoning has long been recognized as an

occupational hazard and indeed Hippocrates
described the case of a metal extraction worker
with abdominal colic. The metal was used
extensively for purposes that ranged from tool
formation in ancient Egypt to the sweetening of
wines in the Middle Ages. Famously, in 1767 Sir
George Baker demonstrated that Devonshire colic
was caused by lead in the production equipment
of Devonshire cider. In the 19th century lead
poisoning was classified as a notifiable
occupational disease in Britain, though the
necessity of reducing workers' exposure was
fully appreciated only in the latter half of
the 20th century
 Impacts

To Health :

Renal Effects

Hematological Effects

Endocrine Effects

Gastrointestinal Effects

Cardiovascular(Hypertension) Effects

Reproductive Effects

Developmental Effects

Potential Effects E.G: problems with the development and health

of bones
 To Environment :

Effects of lead on soil

Effects of lead on plants

Effects of lead on micro-organisms

Effects of lead on animals

 Learnt Throughout History

The great disadvantage of lead has always been that it is poisonous. This
was fully recognised by the ancients, and Vitruvius specifically warns against
its use. Because it was nevertheless used in profusion for carrying drinking
water, the conclusion has often been drawn that the Romans must therefore
have suffered from lead poisoning; sometimes conclusions are carried even
further and it is inferred that this caused infertility and other unwelcome
conditions, and that lead plumbing was largely responsible for the decline
and fall of Rome.

Two things make this otherwise attractive hypothesis impossible. First,

the calcium carbonate deposit that formed so thickly inside
the aqueduct channels also formed inside the pipes, effectively insulating
the water from the lead, so that the two never touched. Second, because the
Romans had so few taps and the water was constantly running, it was never
inside the pipes for more than a few minutes, and certainly not long enough
to become contaminated.
Thank You