TeachableMedicalNews article 04052023
Teachable moment in classrooms:
- nervous system chapter – axons and synapses as structures of neurons
- nervous system chapter – transmission of a nerve impulse using a chemical synapse
- nervous system chapter – formation of myelin sheet along axons
- cellular basis of life chapter – zinc-finger proteins in gene regulation
- endocrine system chapter – protein kinases are important for cellular actions
The news item: Recently this report appeared:
Freeze-dried blueberries recalled due to potential lead contamination
The voluntary recall covers packages of organic blueberries sold under the brand name Natierra, with expiration dates of December 2022 and January 2025.
The article states that long term exposure to lead in children may affect the central nervous system causing learning disabilities, developmental defects, and in adults causing damage to the nervous system and internal organs.
So, Why Do I Care?? Long term exposure to lead harms about 500,000 children in the USA alone. The consequences last for decades, and can not be undone. It is good to understand why the metal lead poses such severe consequences.
Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about how lead (Pb in the periodic table) gets into our bodies. Typically, lead comes into our bodies through eating lead-contaminated food or drinking water, because lead compounds are soluble in water. The heavy metal lead has similar chemical properties to the biologically important metal calcium. Because of that similarity the small intestine readily absorbs lead just as it absorbs calcium.
Second, let’s talk about what biological processes are harmed by lead. Once absorbed into the bloodstream the lead ions take the place of the calcium and zinc ions. Here are a few examples. A. Lead