Virtually all children who recover from acute lead encephalopathy exhibit residual reduction in intelligence and behavioral dysfunction. Another effect of acute high dose lead exposure is the Fanconi syndrome, an acute injury to the renal tubules, characterized by spillage of glucose, protein, amino acids, and phosphates into urine. Lead is especially harmful to unborn children. Exposure to lead during pregnancy has been correlated with premature births, low birth weight infants, and spontaneous abortions. These adverse effects can persist and lead to decreased performance in school.
Anemia is the most serious effect of lead on the hematologic system.
Exposure to lead has been associated with hypertension, renal failure, and gout. The extremely high cumulative doses of lead used in animal studies are difficult to extrapolate to low-level exposure in humans, and do not provide a sufficient basis for quantitative risk assessment. A number of studies are available relating blood lead levels in children to levels of lead in the environment. Soil lead levels in the residential yards and drainage canal range from 566 ppm ot 1880 ppm. Based on available models correlating blood lead levels with lead in soil, elevated blood lead levels could result in children exposed to the contaminated soil.