Lead Poisoning: Symptoms and Elimination

We've seen all the reports in the last four months... Massive toy recalls from products made in China due to lead paint. How do you know if you've got lead poisoning? Signs and symptoms of lead poisoning include:
• Fatigue, lethargy, or sometimes hyperactivity
• Headaches
• Weight loss
• Insomnia
• Constipation
• Bluish line along the gums (Burton’s line). This is less common in children.
• Irritability
• Metallic taste in your mouth
• Nausea, abdominal pain
• Poor appetite
• Reduced cognitive abilities
• Reproductive problems

Although many of these symptoms could be indicative of a number of health problems, don't hesitate to see your doctor if you have a number of these symptoms and think you may have been exposed to unsafe levels of lead.

Low Vitamin D and C Intake Affect Lead Levels*

A low vitamin D intake can be linked to lead accumulation in bones, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. Contamination with even low levels of lead has been linked to neurological and developmental problems in children, and elevated blood pressure, kidney dysfunction and anemia in adults.

The gradual elimination of some of the most obvious sources of environmental lead, such as lead-based paint and leaded gasoline, has reduced overall blood lead levels in western populations over the past few decades.

The investigators discovered that lower dietary intake of vitamin D, and vitamin C enhances the absorption and retention of lead in the body. The researchers say these nutrient/lead relationships displayed 'threshold' effects, in that only the men in the lowest (levels) of nutrient intake had significantly higher bone lead and blood lead levels. In other words, the lead-lowering benefits of increasing vitamin C and D intake trailed off at higher levels of daily consumption.

*American Journal of Epidemiology 1998;147:1162-1174.