Lead is a highly toxic element. Exposure to lead can result in damage to the brain, kidneys, blood, central nervous system and reproductive system. Children are particularly sensitive to the chronic effects of lead, with slowed cognitive development, reduced growth and other effects. Exposure to lead may come through a number of sources, including lead-based paint, petroleum, lead contaminated dust and lead contaminated residential soil. EPA seeks to reduce the public's risk from lead exposure in a number of ways. The most important of these is by providing information about the hazards of lead and ways of reducing lead risk in the home. EPA also makes grants to states and tribes for Agency-authorized Lead-Based Paint Programs. Finally, EPA continues to study the effects of lead exposure to further reduce lead hazards in the United States.

Recommended EPA Web pages

• Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil
  These pages are designed to give you access to information on all aspects of the Federal lead poisoning prevention program.
• Integrated Risk Information System: Lead and Compounds (inorganic) (CASRN 7439-92-1)
  This is a summary of information on Lead and Compounds (inorganic) (CASRN 7439-92-1) provided by the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS).
• Lead - How Lead Affects the Way We Live and Breathe
  Discusses lead levels in air and the associated health and environmental risks.

Air Pollutants
Lead, Aerosols, Asbestos, Carbon Monoxide, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Criteria Air Pollutants, Ground Level Ozone, Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), Mercury, Methane, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Particulate Matter (PM), Propellants, Radon, Refrigerants, Sulfur Oxides (SOx), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Biological Contaminants

Carcinogens

Chemicals
Benzene, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA), Dichloroethylene (DCE), Dioxins, Endocrine Disruptors, Ether, Ethylbenzene, Furans, Halons, Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), Heavy Metals, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), Inorganic Cyanides, Ketones, Methane, Methyl Bromide, Methyl Chloride, Methyl-T-Butyl-Ether (MTBE), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Organic Cyanides, Particulate Matter (PM), Perchloroethylene (PCE), Phthalates, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Radioactive Substances, Radionuclides, Styrene, Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6), Sulfur Oxides (SOx), Toluene, Trichloroethylene (TCE), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Microorganisms
Coliform, Cryptosporidium, Viruses

Ozone

Radiation
Ionizing Radiation, Radiation Detection, Radiation Exposure, Radiation Protection, Radioactive Substances, Radionuclides, Radon

Soil Contaminants
Acetone, Arsenic, Barium, Benzene, Cadmium, Chloroform, Cyanide, Lead, Mercury, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Tetrachloroethylene, Toluene, Trichloroethylene (TCE)

Toxic Substances
Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Pollutants (PBTs), Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Toxicological Profiles

Water Pollutants
Arsenic, Contaminated Sediment, Disinfection Byproducts, Dredged Material, Lead, Microbial Pathogens