Effects of Lead Contamination
"Lead is poison, a potent neurotoxin whose sickening and deadly effects have been known for nearly 3,000 years..."
-J.L. Kitman, The Secret History of Lead
Lead poisoning causes serious health hazards to children and adults. Its effects are widespread and often confused with other diseases. Some symptoms of lead poisoning are: headache, anorexia, insomnia, hearing loss, vomiting, diarrhea, blindness, seizures, kidney failure, cancer, palsies, hallucinations, and convulsions. With so many terrible outcomes from overexposure to lead, it is almost inconceivable that companies would use it in so many products.
"Children are the first and worst victims of leaded gas; because of their immaturity, they are most susceptible to systemic and neurological injury, including lowered IQs, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity, behavioral problems, and interference with growth... In adults, elevated blood-lead levels are related to hypertension and cardiovascular disease, particularly strokes, heart attacks and premature deaths."
-J.L. Kitman, The Secret History of Lead
This cartoon drawn by Clair Patterson shows the pre-industrial lead levels of man, compared to lead levels in 1965, compared to the levels needed for obvious lead poisoning.