Umwelt- und analytische Toxikologie

Effects of Lead on Human Health: A Review

Abstract

Tayaba Mohsin*

Lead is one of the most abundant naturally occurring heavy metal. When it is in low concentration it is beneficial for the physiological and biochemical activities in living organisms, however when its concentration exceed up to a certain limit it cause the serious health problems. It is non-biodegradable poisonous metal, today it has become a global health issue. There is almost no function in the human body which is not affected by the lead toxicity. Developing countries use the lead for their beneficial purposes and it became a common environmental pollutant. However in developed countries the people take preventative measure and apply the management strategies to control the lead toxicity up to a certain limit. Lead is highly persistent in the environment and its continuous use raise the level of lead in every country, cause the serious threats such as carcinogenicity, renal failure, high blood pressure, brain damage, hematological effects, reproductive system damage both in men and women, heart diseases, bone screening, liver damage etc. The effect of lead can be decreased by the number of techniques used today such as chelatin therapy and different types of medications.