A Review: The Toxic Effect of Lead on Human Health

Abstract

The periodic table highlights heavy metals, characterized by highdensity and atomic weight, which are prevalent in the biosphere andreleased through anthropogenic activities. Heavy metals can beclassified as essential or non-essential, with the former being crucialfor human metabolism, while the latter, including lead (Pb), posessignificant health risks. Lead is a toxic metal which occur in theenvironment and found in some products. Lead, a non-biodegradabletoxic metal, accumulates in environmental sources such as soil andwater, primarily from human activities. It is associated with severehealth consequences, particularly in children, leading to issues likedevelopmental impairments and reduced fertility in adults. Thedetection of lead poisoning employs various analytical methods, withblood lead levels serving as the primary diagnostic tool. Treatmentoften involves chelation therapy to remove lead from the body andmitigate its toxic effects