WHO, 2010. Preventing Disease through Healthy Environments – Exposure to lead: A major public health concern. World Health Organization (WHO). Accessed 15 November 2019.
" }, "editorialNote": { "en": [ "source:UNDRR HIPS" ] }, "scopeNote": { "en": [ "Lead (chemical symbol Pb, atomic number 82) is found at low levels in the Earth’s crust, mainly as lead sulphide (WHO, 2010). However, the widespread occurrence of lead in the environment is largely the result of human activity, such as mining, smelting, refining and informal recycling of lead; use of leaded petrol (gasoline); production of lead-acid batteries and paints; jewellery making, soldering, ceramics and leaded glass manufacture in informal and ‘cottage’ (home-based) industries; electronic waste; and use in water pipes and solder (WHO, 2010). Other sources of lead in the environment include natural activities, such as volcanic activity, geochemical weathering and sea spray emissions, and remobilisation of historic sources, such as lead in soil, sediment and water from mining areas. As lead is a natural element, once it is released into the environment, it persists. Owing to lead’s persistence and potential for global atmospheric transport, atmospheric emissions affect even the most remote regions of the world (WHO, 2010). Acute exposures to lead may cause gastrointestinal disturbances (anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain), hepatic and renal damage, hypertension and neurological effects (malaise, drowsiness, encephalopathy) that may lead to convulsions and death. Chronic exposure effects include haematological effects, such as anaemia, or neurological disturbances, including headache, irritability, lethargy, convulsions, muscle weakness, ataxia, tremors and paralysis. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable, for example, in-utero exposure of the foetus at maternal blood lead levels of less than 5 mg/dl can lead to reduced foetal growth and lower birth rate, and the mother may experience eclampsia and decreased renal function at these blood lead levels. Developing children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, with learning disorders and other neurological and developmental disorders occurring at blood lead levels lower than those of adults (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2012). It has been estimated that lead exposure was responsible, in 2004, for 143,000 deaths and 0.6% of the global burden of disease (expressed in disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs), taking into account mild mental retardation and cardiovascular outcomes resulting from exposure to lead. Young children absorb four to five times as much lead as adults (apart from pregnant women). Infants, young children (especially those less than 5 years of age) and pregnant women are most susceptible to the adverse effects of lead. The most critical effect of lead in young children is that on the developing nervous system. Subtle effects on intelligence quotient (IQ) are expected from blood lead levels at least as low as 5 μg/dl (50 μg/l), and the effects gradually increase with increasing levels of lead in blood (WHO, 2010)." ] }, "broader": { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/9fa66111-24fe-4920-88b9-74c7f493915f", "prefLabel": { "en": "Heavy Metals" } }, "inScheme": [ { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/", "title": { "en": "Climate Connectivity Taxonomy" } } ], "inSchemeAll": [ { "id": "http://connectivity-hub.com/terms/" } ], "@context": { "@version": 1.1, "id": "@id", "type": "@type", "@vocab": "http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#", "xsd": "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#", "dct": "http://purl.org/dc/terms/", "dc": "http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/", "schema": "https://schema.org/", "vann": "http://purl.org/vocab/vann/", "ldp": "http://www.w3.org/ns/ldp#", "owl": "http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#", "title": { "@id": "dct:title", "@container": "@language" }, "dc:title": { "@id": "dc:title", "@container": "@language" }, "dc:description": { "@id": "dc:description", "@container": "@language" }, "description": { "@id": "dct:description", "@container": "@language" }, "license": { "@id": "dct:license", "@container": "@language" }, "issued": { "@id": "dct:issued", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "created": { "@id": "dct:created", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "modified": { "@id": "dct:modified", "@type": "xsd:date" }, "creator": "dct:creator", "publisher": "dct:publisher", "preferredNamespacePrefix": "vann:preferredNamespacePrefix", "preferredNamespaceUri": "vann:preferredNamespaceUri", "isBasedOn": "schema:isBasedOn", "source": "dct:source", "prefLabel": { "@container": "@language" }, "altLabel": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "hiddenLabel": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "definition": { "@container": "@language" }, "note": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "changeNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "editorialNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "historyNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "scopeNote": { "@container": [ "@language", "@set" ] }, "notation": { "@container": "@set" }, "example": { "@container": "@language" }, "narrower": { "@container": "@set" }, "related": { "@container": "@set" }, "relatedMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "narrowerTransitive": { "@container": "@set" }, "broaderTransitive": { "@container": "@set" }, "broadMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "narrowMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "closeMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "exactMatch": { "@container": "@set" }, "hasTopConcept": { "@container": "@set" }, "inScheme": { "@container": "@set" }, "topConceptOf": { "@container": "@set" }, "deprecated": { "@id": "owl:deprecated", "@type": "xsd:boolean" }, "isReplacedBy": { "@id": "dct:isReplacedBy", "@container": "@set" } } }