Lead Poisoning

WHAT IS LEAD?

Lead exposure causes serious and irreversible damage to the brain and body. According to the Center for Disease Control (the "CDC"), there is no safe blood lead level in anyone. Lead interferes with the body's ability to produce hemoglobin, leading to anemia; damages kidneys which lack the ability to filter lead from the blood; and, even in low levels of exposure, causes developmental delays, lowers IQ, and can cause depression. Children are especially vulnerable to the damaging effects of lead poisoning, as their growing bodies absorb lead more quickly than adults do, and are more likely to play in areas where lead dust from lead-based paint has accumulated.

There is no cure for lead poisoning. Once a child is exposed, the effects are immediate and lasting. The cognitive damage often becomes apparent from a young age. In addition to lower IQs, children exposed to even small levels of lead tend to do worse on tests, have difficulty staying focused and paying attention in school, and have more difficulty with self-control. Often, lead-poisoned children will exhibit signs of ADHD, and will fare worse than their peers both academically and over their professional career. Although a child's blood lead level will decrease over time, the cognitive problems caused from lead exposure will remain.

SOURCE: CDC National Center for Environmental Health

Children exposed to lead at a young age also tend to have lingering health problems throughout life. Lead is absorbed by a child's growing bones, which often gets released back into the bloodstream as the child gets older, causing further damage to their organs and brain. Lead-poisoned children are at higher risk of cancer and stroke, in addition to anemia and kidney problems.

The fact is, the negative effects of childhood lead poisoning can only be prevented by preventing exposure to lead in the first place. Once a child has been exposed, all that can be done is to give the child the educational and emotional support any child with a disability needs to make coping with the disability possible.

The experienced lead poisoning attorneys at Levy Konigsberg LLP can help make sure you or your child has the resources needed to overcome the devastating effects of lead poisoning. If you or your child has been exposed to lead at a young age, please call us or send us an inquiry from this website to see if you might have a case.

Find out whether you have a case by speaking to one of our experienced lead poisoning lawyers via phone at 1-800-414-9330 or by submitting an email inquiry (see form to the right). Our attorneys will be quick to respond to you and happy to answer all of your questions.