Northern Iron the highest stationary source of lead emissions in Ramsey County. There is no safe level of exposure.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies lead as a hazardous substance. Low-level lead exposure was once thought to be harmless. Over time, researchers have found that lead, even at low levels, causes lifelong harm. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even if you are no longer exposed to lead, your health may still continue to be impacted by it. Both past and current elevated lead exposures increase adverse health effects and early death across the lifespan.
Lead lives in the blood for up to 28 days. Once in the bloodstream, lead moves into soft tissues for several months, then bones and teeth. The bones and teeth contain more than 95% of total accumulated lead in the body for decades. The body can accumulate lead over a lifetime and continue to slowly release it throughout your body.
In times of stress (particularly pregnancy, breastfeeding, bone fractures, growth spurts, puberty, bedridden/paralysis), the body can release lead stores from the bones and teeth, thereby increasing blood lead levels. This can cause life-threatening high blood pressure, especially in pregnant women. This can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, birth defects, low birth weight, or maternal death.