Lead poisoning is a damaging attack of lead on the body. It is caused when an individual swallows or inhales any form of lead. The symptoms can cause brain damage, nerve damage and kidney damage.

Serious lead poisoning, is rather rare, but is caused when an individual inhales or swallows a large quantity of lead over a short period of time. Very chronic lead poisoning is common mostly in children who ingest small amounts of lead over a longer period of time.

Lead paint causes damage in the entire human body. Hypertension is basically one of the symptoms of lead poisoning. For a pregnant woman, lead poisoning can damage the fetus and result in brain damage. A child will suffer more damage if there is a higher level of lead in their system. A child can experience learning disabilities, behavioral problems and mental retardation if lead has been in the blood for a long period of time. At higher levels, lead poisoning can result in seizures, comas or possibly death.

One out of six children in the United States along have high levels of lead in their blood as reported by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Many older homes have peeling paint and contribute to lead poisoning in children. Other children get exposed to lead through lead dust or soil contaminated by paint or leaded gasoline. Children between 12 to 36 months old are more prone to lead poisoning because they are always putting things in their mouth.

Homes built before 1978, have lead-based paint as reported by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention. This is where most of the lead poisoning takes place for families who live in these older homes.

The first step in treating lead poisoning is to avoid further contact with lead. For adults, this usually means making changes at work or in hobbies. For children, it means that parents and guardians need to find and remove sources of lead in the home. In most states, the public health department can help assess the home and identify lead sources.

Symptoms of adult lead poisoning are headache, weakness of the muscles; memory loss, moodiness, abdominal pain, headache and reduced sperm count in men

Symptoms of lead poisoning in children are more prevalent and they include vomiting, abdominal pain, irritability, constipation, weight loss, difficulty in learning, anemia, and appetite loss.