Lead poisoning causes serious health problems for children six
years old and younger, with their rapidly developing brains and
central nervous systems. Lead most commonly enters the body through
swallowing or inhalation of airborne dust and then makes it’s way
to the blood through the lungs or the stomach. A number of factors
determine how much lead gets into the blood stream, including age,
health and dietary intake of calcium and iron.
Once in the bloodstream lead travels throughout the body, including
the spleen, brain, lungs, kidney, muscles, liver, and heart, eventually
settling in the musculoskeletal system. Most of the lead in a child’s
body is stored in the bones (about 70%). In some cases, including
pregnancy, breastfeeding, broken bones, or naturally during the
aging process, lead can move from the bones back into the blood
stream and soft tissues.
Children are far more vulnerable to lead poisoning than adults because adult bodies flush out 99% of the lead taken in through waste. But children have a very low lead expulsion rate - less than 32%. So children’s bodies not only absorb more lead than adults, it stores more of the lead that it absorbs. That accumulation of lead in a child’s body eventually causes serious, irreversible damage.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program CLPPP http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/about/program.htm
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