www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/lead-poisoning
Lead poisoning
About lead poisoning
Lead poisoning can occur when lead enters the body. In most cases it's small amounts of lead consumed over time that build up and cause health problems.
Causes of lead poisoning
Most people's risk of lead poisoning is very small as nowadays lead generally isn't used in paints, petrol or food containers. This has resulted in a very low exposure to lead for the majority of people. However, one of the main potential risks can be through drinking tap water if your property has lead pipes, a lead water tank or pipework with lead fittings. In a small number of cases this can result in lead contaminating the water supply.
Symptoms
Exposure to lead can be harmful especially to unborn babies and young children. Children absorb more lead than adults due to their growing bones and other organs which lead can become deposited in.
The signs and symptoms in young children can include:
irritability and fatigue
loss of appetite and weight loss
abdominal pain
vomiting
constipation
hearing loss
developmental delay and learning difficulties
Although children are at increased risk of the effects of lead poisoning, exposure via drinking contaminated water can also result in illness in adults. Even if you are experiencing these symptoms, it does not always mean you have lead poisoning.
Symptoms in adults can include:
high blood pressure
abdominal pain
constipation
joint and muscle pain
pain, numbness or tingling of the extremities
headache
miscarriage or premature birth in pregnant women
fatigue
memory loss
If your property has lead pipes and you or your children are experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your GP.
Preventing lead poisoning
Not all houses have lead pipes. If your house was built before 1970 then there may be a small chance the pipe which connects your property to the water main in the street is made of lead.
Find out if your property has lead pipes. There are a few places you can check including under the kitchen sink and at the internal stop tap, usually found where your water supply enters your home.
Look out for:
unpainted lead pipes are dull grey and have rounded swollen joints where they join other pipes
lead pipes are soft and if gently scraped you will see the shiny, silver-coloured metal appear underneath
tapping a lead pipe with a metal object will produce a dull thud rather than the clear ringing sound produced by copper or iron pipes
Petition
Currently it is not legally required to replace lead pipes in the home, please change this:
www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-make-it-mandatory-to-replace-lead-pipes-once-discovered