ABA Family Legal Guide

Home Ownership

Property Insurance and Other Protections

Environmental Issues

Why is lead dangerous?

Lead is a soft, metallic element occurring naturally in rocks and soil all over the world. Until fairly recently, it was commonly used in pipes, plumbing solder, paint, and gasoline. If you breathe particles of lead dust or drink lead-contaminated water, it accumulates in your blood, bones, or soft tissue. High concentrations of lead can cause permanent damage to the brain, central nervous system, kidneys, and red blood cells. Lead is especially dangerous for infants, children, pregnant women, and the unborn because growing bodies absorb lead more easily and their tissues are more sensitive to it. Also, a given concentration of lead is worse on a child's smaller body than an adult's. In residential buildings, lead paint and lead in drinking water pose the major dangers.