How much lead in your food can harm you?

After the Supreme Court revived the action suit against Nestle, the company's lawyers admitted to the presence of lead in the popular instant noodles. Do you know how much lead in your food can harm you?

The Supreme Court on Thursday revived the action suit against Nestle by NCDR by questioning the lead content in the popular Maggi noodles. The lawyers representing Nestle admitted to the presence of lead in the FMCG product. However, they argued that the lead content in the noodles was within permissible limits. Let's take a look at what is lead poisoning and how much lead in your food can harm you.

What is lead poisoning?

Lead, a highly toxic metal, is a very strong poison. Lead poisoning is a serious condition which can sometimes be fatal. It causes severe mental and physical impairment. Young children are most vulnerable to it as their brains and nervous systems are in the developing stage.

Though no amount of lead in the blood is safe, it is known that lead level as low as 5 micrograms per deciliter can lead to health problems in children.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Lead poisoning usually builds up slowly. Hence, lead toxicity follows repeated exposures to small quantities of lead. 

According to Healthline, some of the symptoms of lead toxicity in adults are abdominal pain, abdominal cramps, aggressive behavious, sleep problems, constipation, irritability, headaches, loss of appetite, fatigue, memory loss and anemia among others.

In children, symptoms can be identified in the form of intellectual disability. For example, a child having behaviour problems, low IQ, poor grades at school, growth delays, etc.

Emergency symptoms in case of a high toxic dose of lead can be severe abdominal pain and cramping, vomiting, muscle weakness, seizures and coma. Lead poisoning can be diagnosed with a blood lead test.