Lead Poisoning | Symptoms, Complications | What You Need to Know

Older homes commonly feature lead paint, which can lead to a variety of negative health consequences. Work with Lawton to remove this dangerous material from your home. 

Your home should be a safe place. When you settle in for the night after a long day, you want to be sure that your home is doing everything possible to protect your health, and the health of everyone else who lives with you. Unfortunately, if there are sources of lead in the home – such as lead paint – the environment might not be the safe haven you deserve. 

It’s easy to overlook the risk that lead presents, but this is a major problem that impacts the health of people around the world. It is estimated that lead exposure accounted for more than 1 million global deaths in 2017 alone. Given that huge number and plenty of other statistics that point to lead exposure being a worldwide health crisis, it’s worth thinking about how lead could be impacting your health. 

In this article, we’d like to take a closer look at the symptoms and complications that can come along with lead poisoning. Given the serious impact that lead can have on your health, it’s important to deal with this matter as quickly as possible. Partnering with an experienced team like Lawton is the best way to remove all potential causes of lead poisoning from your home quickly and safely. Feel free to reach out today for more information. 

Signs and Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Children

If you are a parent, the health and wellbeing of your kids is a top priority. So, if you notice anything that isn’t quite right about how they are feeling or acting, you’ll want to explore all possible causes of those changes. There are many different potential signs and symptoms of lead poisoning that can present in children, including those points listed below. 

• Loss of appetite. If your child no longer wants to eat much food, or simply refuses to eat at some meals, that may be a sign of lead problems. 
• Vomiting. This would be a concerning sign for any parent, as it’s a clear sign that something is wrong. 
• Headaches. Again, ongoing headaches are something that are always a cause of concern. 
• Consistent fatigue. Children generally have high levels of energy, so regular fatigue or lethargy is another reason to look for an underlying cause. 
• Developmental delays. There are certain milestones that parents watch for as their children hit age markers. While development will vary somewhat from child to child, consistent delays are a reason to investigate further. 

It needs to be said that noticing the issues above does not guarantee that lead poisoning is to blame. Everything included in the list above could be caused by a variety of factors, so you’ll want to work with your healthcare provider to determine the right course of action. Also, it’s possible that lead poisoning is an issue even if the symptoms above are not present, as lead exposure can lead to other problems that are not listed above. 

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning in Adults

While it’s easier for lead exposure to cause health problems in children, this issue can affect adults adversely, as well. If you suspect that lead poisoning may be a problem in your home, watch for the following symptoms in adults. 

• Headaches. This point was on our list for children, and it is also a potential warning sign for adults. Of course, headaches are extremely common and can have many causes, so this point will require further investigation. 
• Elevated blood pressure. If high blood pressure is discovered during a visit to the doctor, it’s worth considering the possibility that lead is contributing to that condition. 
• Joint pain. It’s hard to live a normal, comfortable life when your joints are constantly aching. 
• Fertility problems. For women, fertility issues like miscarriage and stillbirth could be related to lead poisoning. 

As mentioned above, these health problems can have many causes. Work with your doctor to determine what is causes your health issues and how they can be addressed. 

Lead Enters the Body in a Variety of Ways

You may be wondering how lead is making its way into your body, even if your house does have lead paint. After all, the paint is just sitting there on the walls, and you probably don’t interact with it regularly. However, there are many different ways that lead can work its way into your system, including –

• Breathing in dust that contains lead. If the paint in your home is old, as would be the case if it contains lead, it may start to flake off and become dust. When that dust is inhaled, the lead can enter your bloodstream. 
• Consuming food with lead. Some food products can contain small amounts of lead, especially those that are imported from other countries. If these foods are regularly consumed, the amount of lead in your system can accumulate. 
• Working in a dangerous environment. Some industrial sites use lead in one way or another and working around it consistently can lead to health problems. There are laws in place to reduce employee exposure, but those restrictions don’t necessarily guarantee safety. 

It’s important to note that children under the age of six are at particularly high risk for lead exposure. There are a couple of reasons for this elevated concern. First, small children tend to frequently put their hands or other objects in their mouths. If lead paint is present in a home, for example, a curious child could be getting into areas that have lead dust and negative health consequences could be the result. 

Why Lead Paint is Dangerous

All the various health problems we have highlighted so far in this article point to the fact that lead paint has no place in your home. If lead paint remains in place, everyone living in the house will be at risk for the problems we’ve listed, along with many others. Given the safer options that are available today, there is simply no reason to leave the lead paint where it is. 

The best course of action to deal with lead paint is to have it removed by a professional team like Lawton. Having the paint removed professionally will ensure that the work is done safely and in accordance with modern standards. With the old lead paint gone, a modern paint product can be put in place and you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your home is free from lead-based products. 

Lawton Can Solve Your Lead Problems

If you suspect that your home may have lead paint, or if you already know it does and you are ready to get started on the remediation process, contact Lawton right away. It’s important to remember that getting rid of lead paint is a potentially hazardous activity that should not be handled without the right training and equipment. Not only do you need to ensure that the work is done properly, but you also need to confirm that all areas of paint that contain lead have been removed. For that, the team at Lawton Construction & Restoration, Inc. is the right choice.