They may also eat flaking paint chips that contain lead. Those who smoke may inhale lead found in tobacco, and industrial workers may breathe lead dust. Lead affects people's health in the same way, whether they drink, eat, or breathe it. Short-term exposure to large amounts of lead can cause brain or kidney damage. Long-term exposure to small amounts of lead can increase blood pressure, alter the function of red blood cells to cause anemia, damage the brain and kidneys, and harm reproduction.
Children are especially sensitive to lead exposure, which can retard their growth and intelligence.
Babies whose mothers are exposed to lead during pregnancy have lower birth weights and slower development than other babies. Although laboratory animals that ate lead had more kidney cancers than other animals, human studies have not confirmed that exposure to lead can cause cancer in people. It is unlikely that lead from power plants poses a significant risk to human health. EPA has evaluated the potential health risks of breathing lead for people who live near power plants that burn coal and oil. EPA estimates that the highest lead exposures for people living near power plants are 250 times below the safe exposure level for breathing lead.