Nearly 500 people are suspected of being lead poisoned by recently recalled Wanabana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches across 44 states. These poisonings have revealed a shocking breach in our food safety system after a routine health screening that revealed the lead poisoning. 

What exactly is so dire about this situation? As far as poisonous metals go, lead is one of the most potent and dangerous. Someone who has been lead poisoned often has very gradual symptoms, or even no symptoms at all. Lead’s extremely harmful causes coupled with its covert effects make it almost undetectable. 

“Lead toxicity is evident from the literature and there is almost no function in the body which is not affected by lead,” said Anjum Ara in a study of lead toxicity. 

“Lead toxicity disrupts the functions of the digestive system, nervous system, respiratory system, reproductive system, etc,” Ara said.

Lead became a staple in early manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution due to its abundance, high malleability and low corrosion rates. It was used in almost every field: from water lines to house paint to glassware. This overuse of the toxic metal was  a contributor to many of the factory related health issues and deaths within the Industrial Revolution. 

So, if its toxicity has been a known danger, why are we still faced with lead poisoning cases such as the Wanabana pouches one? Much of the United States’ factories and manufacturing centers are filled with lead based supplies and machines, due to them being made before lead was revealed as dangerous. 

“Invisible to the naked eye, odorless and nearly impossible to detect by taste—traces of lead are in the products we use, the beverages we drink and the homes we live in,” said Ayurella Horn-Muller in an article for National Geographic.   

The world we live in today is still built upon a lead foundation. It’s important to be aware of the dangers of lead poisoning; and to be wary if the symptoms do strike.