Health effects in children Exposure to very high levels of lead can severely damage the brain and central nervous system causing coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with permanent intellectual disability and behavioural disorders.
Lead exposure remains highly prevalent worldwide despite decades of research highlighting its link to numerous adverse health outcomes. In addition to well-documented effects on cognition, there is growing evidence of an association with antisocial behavior, including aggression, conduct problems, and crime.
Initially, lead poisoning can be hard to detect — even people who seem healthy can have high blood levels of lead. Signs and symptoms usually don't appear until dangerous amounts have accumulated.
In 1943, lead poisoning sequelae were well documented by Byers and Lord, who followed 20 children with symptomatic lead poisoning in early childhood until school age. They found that 19 of these children presented ag- gressive, antisocial, and uncontrollable behavior (15).
Exposure to lead can have a wide range of effects on a child's development and behavior. Even when exposed to small amounts of lead levels, children may appear inattentive, hyperactive, and irritable.
People with higher levels of childhood lead exposure were less agreeable, less conscientious (in the US sample), and more neurotic (among younger participants).