Lead Poisoning / Envenenamiento con plomo

Envenenamiento con plomo

Otros nombres: Saturnismo
El plomo es un mineral que existe naturalmente en la corteza terrestre. Las personas lo han diseminado a través del medio ambiente de muchas maneras. La gasolina y la pintura solían contener plomo. El plomo todavía puede encontrarse en suelos contaminados, el polvo doméstico, el agua potable, cerámica esmaltada con plomo y algunas joyas de metal.

Respirar aire, consumir agua o alimentos o tocar residuos que contengan plomo puede causarle muchos problemas de salud. En personas adultas, el plomo puede aumentar la presión sanguínea y causar infertilidad, trastornos nerviosos y dolor muscular en las articulaciones. También puede hacerlo sentirse irritable y afectar su capacidad para concentrarse y recordar.

El plomo es especialmente peligroso para los niños. Un niño que traga grandes cantidades de plomo puede desarrollar anemia, fuertes dolores de estómago, debilidad muscular y lesión cerebral. Inclusive bajos niveles de plomo se relacionan con coeficientes intelectuales más bajos.

Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades

abrir aquí para acceder a numerosos vínculos que permiten ingresar a documentos específicos del MedlinePlus y otros organismos americanos de información médica (este documento se edita como consecuencia de una información recibida desde el HHS, USA):
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/leadpoisoning.html


From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates people may never outgrow the damage that lead does to the brain. At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Kim Cecil saw that in brain imaging of adults who were exposed to high levels of lead when they were children.

Cecil says adults who had higher lead exposure as children were more likely to have decreased activity in parts of the brain associated with attention and controlling impulses.

[Kim Cecil speaks] ``What our study is showing is that, long after this exposure is over, the effects are irreversible.’’

Cecil says it’s another reason to keep kids free of things like lead-based paint.

The research, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, was presented at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 09 2010

Lead Poisoning

Also called: Plumbism
Lead is a metal that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. People have spread it through the environment in many ways. Lead used to be in paint and gasoline. Lead can still be found in contaminated soil, household dust, drinking water, lead-glazed pottery and some metal jewelry.

Breathing air, drinking water, eating food or swallowing or touching dirt that contains lead can cause many health problems. In adults, lead can increase blood pressure and cause infertility, nerve disorders and muscle and joint pain. It can also make you irritable and affect your ability to concentrate and remember.

Lead is especially dangerous for children. A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop anemia, severe stomachache, muscle weakness and brain damage. Even low levels of lead are linked to lower IQ scores.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

abrir aquí para acceder a numerosos vínculos que permiten ingresar a documentos específicos del MedlinePlus y otros organismos americanos de información médica (este documento se edita como consecuencia de una información recibida desde el HHS, USA):
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/leadpoisoning.html