Even small amounts of lead can be harmful to the body. Both acute and chronic lead poisoning can cause serious health problems. Lead is prone to build up as the body can only excrete small amounts of it. Usually negative effects of lead remain unnoticed for a long time as the symptoms only become clear after several years or even decades. Lead can affect almost any organ and the whole body. It causes anaemia, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, immunotoxicity, is toxic to reproduction and negatively affects the cardiovascular system. Lead can also be at the root of gastrointestinal, neurological, metabolic, and endocrine disorders.