Lead: A concise review of its toxicity, mechanism and health effect

Abstract

Heavy metal toxicity over the years has been proven to be a source of diverse health risks. Thou these metals, play certain biological roles, they are in excess amount get accumulated in the body and food chain displaying a chronic effect in the long run. Lead toxicity is an important environmental disease and its effects on the human body are devastating with its toxicity dependent upon the absorbed dose, the route of exposure as well as the duration of exposure. There is almost no function in the human body which is not affected by lead toxicity. Lead is highly persistent in the environment and because of its continuous use, its levels rise in almost every country particularly in developing countries like Nigeria where it occupies unique physical and chemical properties that make it suitable for a large number of applications. Various public health measures have been undertaken to control, prevent and treat lead toxicity occurring at various levels, such as occupational exposure, accidents and environmental factors. This article reviews the works listed in scientific literatures with recent updates regarding the toxicity of lead. Focus is also on the biomarkers of lead toxicity on the renal, hematological and oxidative stress conditions.

Toxic Metal and Essential Element Concentrations in the Blood and Tissues of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Patients

“…Lead can inhibit delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALAD), disrupting heme synthesis in bone marrow erythroblasts. In addition, it can induce oxidative stress interfering with antioxidant activities by inhibiting functional SH groups in several enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and δ-ALAD [ 40 ]. In this study, Pb levels were comparable between diseased patients and the controls upon both whole blood and tissue analyses.…”

Origin, dietary exposure, and toxicity of endocrine-disrupting food chemical contaminants: A comprehensive review

“…Primary routes for Pb absorption comprise ingestion, inhalation, percutaneous, and transdermal [ 372 ]. Common symptoms of acute exposure could appear as fatigue, headache, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, hallucinations, hypertension, sleep disorders, arthritis, vertigo, and renal dysfunction [ 306 ].…”

The Palliative and Antioxidant Effects of Hesperidin against Lead-Acetate-Induced Testicular Injury in Male Wistar Rats

“…Among heavy metals, lead (Pb) is one of the most pervasive and dangerous environmental toxins. The most common sources of lead exposure implicated in severe injuries to vital organs include lead-based paints from older buildings, lead-contaminated water, gasoline, coal combustion, batteries, electronic wastes, cosmetics, and traditional medicines [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Lead toxicity is a significant environmental health problem with damaging effects on the human body, represented by various clinical manifestations that are dependent upon the absorbed dose as well as the route and duration of exposure [ 25 , 26 ].…”