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Lead affects practically all systems within the body.
Lead is most harmful to children under age six because
 lead is easily
absorbed into their growing bodies, and interferes with the developing
brain and other organs and systems. Pregnant women and women of
child-bearing age are also at increased risk, because lead ingested by
the mother can cross the placenta and affect the unborn fetus.
At very high levels of lead exposure, which are now very rare in the
U.S., lead poisoning can cause mental retardation, coma, convulsions,
and even death.
More commonly in the U.S., children are poisoned through chronic,
low-level exposure. Low-level lead exposure can cause reduced IQ and
attention span, hyperactivity, impaired growth, reading and learning
disabilities, hearing loss, insomnia, and a range of other health,
intellectual, and behavioral effects. At these low, but still
dangerous levels, lead poisoning may not present identifiable symptoms
and a blood test is the only way to know if a child is poisoned.
Except for severely poisoned children, there is no medical treatment
for this disease. Available treatments may only reduce the level of
lead present in the body, without completely eliminating it. The only
way to prevent lead poisoning is to remove the source of exposure.
Learn About Chelation Therapy: Chelation
Therapy is but one of the therapies available for children with Autism
or those who have been exposed to lead poisoning. Chelation
Therapy, as it relates to Autism, is not seen as a "cure" for Autism
but as a way to remove the mercury that has been placed into the body
by vaccines. As related to lead poisoning, Chelation Therapy
removes the lead from the body.
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