Lead is a poisonous metal that can cause serious and permanent damage to a young child. Childhood lead poisoning is usually caused by a child's swallowing very small lead paint chips or breathing in lead dust. Even low levels of lead in a young child's body can cause IQ deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, hearing and speech problems, reduced attention span, hyperactivity and behavior problems. High levels of lead can cause permanent damage to a child's brain, central nervous system, and other organs, such as the kidneys. Very high levels of exposure to lead can cause convulsions, severe mental retardation and even death.
Young children (under the age of six) absorb lead more easily than adults, and the lead can remain undetected in the body for a long time. Lead in the body of a pregnant woman can hurt her baby before birth. It can also cause problems with the pregnancy. The harm done by lead poisoning may never go away and could permanently affect a child's growth and development.
Produced by Jeffrey Feuer and Benjamin Hiller Created July 2008
