Lead is a naturally occurring mineral found deep in the earth in abundant supply. Even small amounts of lead are dangerous to humans and animals.
In Columbia, like many other populated areas, lead can be found virtually anywhere. In the water, soil, air, and homes. Human activities have caused the dispersal of concentrated lead throughout our environment, especially the combustion of leaded gasoline and from other industrial processes. Furthermore, lead has been used in many products over the course of time and could be found in your home: paint, wall boards, plasters, ceramics, pipes, plumbing material, solders, gasoline, batteries, ammunition, and cosmetics.
Such wide spread use of lead in the past has caused a lot of emission of Lead into the environment over time and still currently. Natural levels of lead in the soil range between 50 and 400 parts per million. However, mining, smelting, and refining sites result in massive increases in lead levels in the surrounding environment. When lead is released into the atmosphere, it can travel great distances before settling. Once it settles, it can stick to soil particles and form there move into ground water supply.
Once the dangers of lead were understood, regulations at the Federal and State level have reduced or eliminated the amount of lead in water, soil, consumer products, food, and occupational settings.
Lead is particularly dangerous to children because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems. Lead poisoning can severely affect mental and physical development. At very high levels, lead poisoning can cause seizures, coma or death. Babies and young children can also be more highly exposed to lead because they often put their hands and other objects that can have lead from dust or soil on them into their mouths. Children may also be exposed to lead by eating and drinking food or water containing lead or from dishes or glasses that contain lead, inhaling lead dust from lead-based paint or lead-contaminated soil or from playing with toys with lead paint. Some health effects caused by lead exposure, even small amounts, in children are:
Adults may be exposed to lead by eating and drinking food or water containing lead or from dishes or glasses that contain lead. They may also breath lead dust by spending time in areas where lead-based paint is deteriorating, and during remodeling, repair work or demolition that disturbs painted surfaces in older buildings, such as homes, commercial or industrial facilities.
Lead can accumulate in our bodies over time, where it is stored in bones along with calcium. During pregnancy, calcium containing lead is released from maternal bones and crosses the placenta to help form the bones of the fetus. Lead in a pregnant woman’s body can result in serious effects on the pregnancy and her developing fetus, including:
