Lead Exposure and Health Effects

Information for Employers

All California employers must identify and correct workplace hazards in a timely manner and provide effective training to their employees to prevent injuries/exposure from occurring as a result of their employment. In addition, every employer must immediately report to Cal/OSHA any serious injury or illness, or death, of an employee occurring in a place of employment or in connection with any employment. This includes incidents resulting from exposure to lead.

What is Lead?

Lead is a metal and is a basic chemical element. It can combine with various other substances to form other lead compounds.

Lead has been poisoning workers for thousands of years. Lead can damage the:

  • Central nervous system
  • Cardiovascular system
  • Reproductive system
  • Blood system
  • Kidneys

When absorbed into the body in high enough doses, lead is toxic. In addition, workers' lead exposure can harm their children's development. Biological parents' lead exposure can harm the physical and mental development of a baby before birth.

Routes of Exposure

Inorganic lead can be absorbed into the bloodstream by inhalation (breathing it in) and ingestion (swallowing it). Some organic forms of lead can be absorbed through the skin. When lead is scattered in the air as dust, fumes, or mist, it can be inhaled and absorbed through the lungs. Lead can also be absorbed through the digestive system if lead gets into the mouth and is swallowed. This can occur when one’s hands are contaminated with lead, and food, beverages, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or make-up are handled. Once in the bloodstream, lead is spread throughout the body and stored in various organs and body tissues. Some of this lead is filtered out of the body, but some stays in the blood and other tissues. As exposure to lead continues, the amount stored in the body will increase if more lead is absorbed than the body is getting rid of. Even though a person may not be aware of any immediate symptoms of lead being in the body, this lead stored in the tissues can slowly cause damage to individual cells, then to the organs and whole-body systems.

Short-term (Acute) Overexposure

In large amounts over a short period of time, exposure to lead can be deadly within days. A condition called acute encephalopathy can develop rapidly, leading to seizures, coma, and even death. Although such extreme exposure is rare, the consequences are severe. Pregnant people exposed to lead may have miscarriages or give birth to underweight babies. Males may experience sperm abnormalities due to high, short-term lead exposures.

Long-term (Chronic) Overexposure

When exposed to lead over extended periods, serious damage can also occur in various body systems. These include the cardiovascular, blood-forming, nervous, urinary, and reproductive systems.

Typical symptoms of chronic overexposures include the following:

  • Loss of appetite
  • A metallic taste in the mouth
  • Anxiety
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Pallor (paleness or a loss of color from normal skin tone)
  • Excessive tiredness
  • Weakness
  • Insomnia
  • Headaches
  • Nervous irritability
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Fine tremors (small, involuntary shaking movements)
  • Numbness
  • Dizziness
  • Hyperactivity
  • Lead colic (severe abdominal pain)

Blood lead levels previously considered harmless have been found to cause health problems, such as:

  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Decreased kidney function
  • Reproductive and neurological effects
  • Premature death due to cardiovascular, kidney, and neurological effects

Some people experience no symptoms even while lead is causing harm in their bodies. It’s important to know that permanent damage can occur even without noticeable symptoms.

April 2025