How and why lead is harmful to health?
New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) As the European Union has proposed to ban the use of lead pellets in ammunition, studies have suggested that the discharge of the toxic metal into nature will have dire consequences on the environment and everything that comes into its contact.
At high concentrations, lead is known to wipe out populations of micro-organisms, thereby slowing down decomposition of matter. The micro-organisms themselves, along with plants and other animals, could develop a tolerance for the metal, resulting in permanent changes to the genetics of their population.
In plants, lead pollution has been shown to coat the surface of leaves, thereby hampering photosynthesis and respiration, and stunting their growth or killing them.
