Health Effects of Lead Exposure

Being exposed to lead in the environment has serious health effects. A study published in the journal Lancet found that lead could be responsible for as much as 18% of all deaths in the US. The study, which used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, looked at the blood lead levels of more than 14,000 adults, and their causes of death. People with the highest lead levels had a 37% greater risk of a premature death and a 70% greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Assoc Prof Dr Shamsul Bahari Shamsudin, Director of the Centre for Occupational Safety and Health, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, reveals how much lead Malaysians are exposed to.