Lead; The Toxic Metal and its Harmful Effects to Society
Lead; The Toxic Metal and its Harmful Effects to Society
The Greeks were the first to mine lead ore in their search for silver which they used for coins. They also discovered a use for lead in making wine; and as a result, they unwittingly exposed humans to a toxic metal. The Romans followed suit by using lead in many infrastructures, in wine-making, and for food storage. Their use of lead causes speculation that lead poisoning may have contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Major contamination of lead was brought on by the increased use of the heavy metal during the Spanish conquests. And, although Benjamin Franklin detected symptoms of lead poisoning, lead was still used long after the Industrial Revolution.
Lead is commonly found in the modern environment in air, soil, food, drinking water, and house paint. Lead is a heavy metal that affects human health because the body cannot break it down. Ingesting or inhaling lead particles found in the air and the environment causes lead poisoning. The lead remains in the body and disturbs the enzyme system and the formation of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen through the bloodstream to organs and tissues. Although nearly all
Major sources of the toxic heavy metal include leaded paint, leaded gasoline, recycled oil, ceramics, contaminated soils, and smelters. Dietary sources of lead include contamination of agricultural crops, lead in food containers, contaminated drinking water, and unexpected sources such as lead shot in game birds. Let’s take a closer look at some of these sources.
Lead in drinking water. Lead gets into the drinking water because of corrosion in pipes or from certain properties of the water. The lead in drinking water most likely results from lead that leaches in from pipes. Through the 1920s, lead was used in household pipes. Newer homes now have copper pipes. However, up until 1988 lead solder was legally still being used. Many cities over 100 years old still have lead in the pipes that run between the main and individual homes. Water treatment plants deliver drinking water from a cast iron pipe to the mains. The cast iron pipe does not contain lead. In addition, faucets often have brass/lead valves. Even faucets labeled as “lead free” are permitted to contain up to...