Lead poisoning can cause serious health problems for children, especially those under the age of seven because their brains and central nervous systems are still developing. Lead most commonly enters the body through swallowing and then travels to the stomach. Once in the stomach, there are a variety of factors that determine how much of the lead enters the blood stream, including the person’s age, when the last meal was eaten, and how well the particles dissolve in the stomach juices. Once the lead leaves the stomach, it travels to the blood and soft tissues, including the brain, liver, kidney, lungs, spleen, muscles, and heart, eventually depositing itself in the teeth and bones. On average, 73% of all lead in a child’s body is stored in the bones. There are certain instances where lead can leave the bones and reenter the blood stream and soft tissues. These instances include pregnancy, breastfeeding, if one has broken a bone, or during the regular aging process.

Children’s bodies are significantly more susceptible to lead poisoning than adults. Adult bodies flush out, through waste, almost 99% of the lead taken in. Children, on the other hand, have an alarmingly low expulsion rate of 32%. A child’s body not only absorbs more lead than an adults, it retains more of what it absorbs. This build up of lead in a child’s body could eventually cause serious and irreversible damage.

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