While nobody uses lead paint anymore, there are still plenty of everyday items that have lead components. We asked our readers to weigh in on what effects lead has on our bodies and in what products we typically find lead today.
Kristen Bolig
Muscle Weakness, Brain Damage — Smartphones and Personal Electronics
Exposure to lead has a whole variety of different negative health impacts. Some of the most major health impacts include muscle weakness, brain damage, hearing/speech problems, behavioral problems (especially in developing children), anemia, nerve damage, and in some cases, death. Lead can even cross the placental barriers of pregnant women, putting unborn babies at risk of all of those issues.
Most smartphones and personal electronics have small amounts of lead in them. However because the risk of lead is very much well-known amongst tech companies today, the amount of lead within these newer products is limited to an amount that won’t cause harm.
Harmful for Pregnant Women — Old Electronic Appliances
Lead is a very useful kind of metal in our household. Unfortunately, all of us get exposed to a trace amount of lead in our everyday lives. Lead is not harmful in a small amount, but when consumed or consistent exposure to household items containing lead can lead to lead poisoning.
The problem with lead is that it gets accumulated in our bones, tissue, and blood. In addition, as our bone mineralizes due to aging, lead is released from the bone tissue, increasing its internal exposure.
Exposure to lead for a long time can cause abdominal pain, memory loss, nausea, constipation, and depression.
Exposure to lead is even more dangerous for pregnant women as lead can cross the placental barrier. In addition, exposure to lead in utero may cause damage to a baby’s developing nervous system or cause stillbirth or miscarriage.
Electronics items like phones, TVs, remote controls, keyboards, and computer mouse devices have lead. While lead was removed from solder in the making of electronics for environmental reasons by the European Union, electronics still contain lead. New electronics are not much of a problem for everyday use, but if you have very old electronic appliances or electronics, you may need to be careful about recycling them as they may contain high amounts of lead.
Pranali Patel
Patrick Sinclair
Displaces Biological Functions – Lead-Acid Car Batteries and Electronics
As you may be aware, lead is a toxic heavy metal and the fact that it’s so widely used in electronics is concerning because the element can get absorbed by the body and displace important biological functions.
Lead poisoning is no joke – there are many symptoms and it’s no small feat cleansing it from your body.
In electronics, lead is widely used for solders for circuit boards, as well as for metal alloys for device frames and ceramic components.
A major use of lead is also in lead-acid car batteries, which are becoming increasingly prevalent during the current era of the electric car.
It is therefore important to find ways to cut down on lead usage and find alternate ways to achieve the same chemical properties of lead without the same level of toxicity.
Anemia and Other Serious Health Issues — Computers, Phones, and Remote Controls
Anemia, kidney damage, and brain damage are some of the health issues lead may cause. High lead exposure can even lead to death. Many household items contain lead, such as computers, phones, and remote controls.
David Adler
This is a crowdsourced article. Contributors' statements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this website, other people, businesses, or other contributors.