Lead in the body can cause serious damage to almost all systems within the body. The three systems where the effects are most dangerous are: 

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- The central and peripheral nervous system. 

- The cardiovascular system, including the blood forming system. 

- The kidneys.

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Adults and children are both susceptible to lead poisoning. High levels of lead in the blood of young children can produce permanent nervous-system damage. Even at low levels, lead exposure continuing during childhood is known to slow a child’s normal development.

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Depending on the blood lead levels, adults are also affected by lead. The effects include: 

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- Increase in blood pressure; harmful effects on fetus; joint and muscle aches. 

- Reproductive problems. 

- Kidney damage; damage to blood formation. 

- Anemia; nerve damage; constipation; stomach pains; irritability and fatigue; memory and concentration problems; clumsiness; drowsiness and sleep problems. 

- Blue lines on gums; uncontrollable shaking of hands; wrist and foot drop; hallucinations; brain damage; coma; and death.

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Lead-based paint is most common in pre-1950 housing. 

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Our society faces many severe health and environmental problems as a result of lead pollution. Surveys have been conducted by HUD and EPA to better estimate the extent of lead-paint hazards in the nation’s housing stock. These surveys found that lead-based paint, the major contributor to childhood lead poisoning, is widespread in housing built before 1980. 

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Lead-based paint is present in roughly 83 percent of all housing stock in the private sector and in roughly 86 percent of family housing units in the nation’s housing authorities. HUD Estimates 64 million private housing units contain lead-based paint and that 20 million have lead-based paint hazards. About 4 million of those units have children under six living in them. 

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Childhood lead poisoning remains a major environmental disease, despite considerable progress in lead-hazard control. In the late 1970s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 4.5 million children had excessive levels of lead in their blood. Data from studies from 1988-91 indicated that number had dropped to 1.7 million; new data now show that between 1991-94, almost one million children had blood lead levels above CDC’s level of concern (10 micrograms of lead/deciliter of whole 

blood – 10µg/dL).

 

The major remaining source of exposure for these children is lead-based paint and the contaminated dust and soil it generates.