Lead in the air results from emissions from smelting operations or waste incinerators. Soldering leaded glass, firing ceramic glazes that contain lead, melting lead or burning old lead paint can release hazardous metal fumes. If your plumbing system contains lead solder or lead pipes, running the cold water two to three minutes before using the water will usually lower the lead in the water to safe levels. Lead is a tricky poison to identify. At low or moderate levels of exposure, children often have no symptoms or they may have general symptoms like those of other common childhood illnesses.
Health effects get more severe as blood lead levels increase.
The following information describes the effects on human health at various levels of lead in blood. Usually there are no visible symptoms. These levels, if they persist, can cause subtle learning and behavior problems in children. There may be no symptoms. These can be mistaken for other illnesses.