No amount of lead in the body is safe. It can cause permanent damage. Both children and adults are at risk for lead poisoning. Unborn and nursing children, children from six months to six years of age, and some adults are especially at risk.
Children are at greater risk because they tend to put things into their mouths.
If these things contain lead or have lead dust on them, the lead will poison the children and stay in their bodies. Low levels of lead in children can slow mental development and cause learning and behavioral problems. High levels of lead may cause lasting damage to the developing nervous system and the reproductive system. Kidney damage, anemia, deafness, blindness, coma, and even death can also occur. Adults can suffer from many of the same effects as children.