Lead encephalopathy

Abstract

Lead is arguably the most studied of the neurotoxicants (Silbergeld, 1992; Dietrich, 1995). Epidemiological and experimental studies of the toxic effects and mechanisms of action of lead have grown exponentially since the 1960s and 1970s. This work has produced an unparalleled body of scientific information on the effects of lead on the central nervous system (CNS). This chapter provides a brief review of the current knowledge and the key hypotheses about the toxicity of lead to the-central nervous system (CNS). An enormous amount of lead has been released to the environment through human activities since the 1920s, when tetraethyl lead was first sold as an antiknock agent in gasoline for automobile engines. The use of inorganic lead as an anticorrosive agent in paints and primers represents another important source of lead released to the environment. These practices are largely responsible for widespread and persistent environmental contamination often exceeding concentrations now known to have the potential to cause serious harm to human health.