Lead Worksheet
Lead has been withdrawn from petrol/gas in most countries now, having been identified as a significant cause of illness, impaired development and death. See the WHO January 2000 Bulletin on Environmental lead exposure: a public health problem of global dimensions for more details. It was previously withdrawn from paints in many countries (eg. USA in 1978 and UK in 1992). The term ‘painter's colic’ describes a severe, colicky lower abdominal pain associated with exposure to lead-based paint. Babies with severe colic may have inherited this via epigenetics.
Chronic lead toxicity can affect all systems of the body, particularly the nervous system (for instance being associated with an increased incidence of Parkinson’s Disease) and the intestine (as with colic) but also heart and blood (cardiovascular) system (eg high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes), reproductive problems and kidney damage. See Wikipedia for more information.
On a psychological level lead toxicity can contribute to a materialistic mind-set, sometimes to the exclusion of emotions or a sense of life purpose and connection with the sacred - a very widespread western phenomenon. All of us are affected by this to a greater or lesser extent. In the west we are children of consumerism and are culturally raised to expect an historically unprecedented level of convenience and privilege although, where studied, this has not enhanced national happiness.