lead poisoning

noun

: chronic intoxication that is produced by the absorption of lead into the system and is characterized especially by fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, anemia, a dark line along the gums, and muscular paralysis or weakness of limbs

called also saturnism

Examples of lead poisoning in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He’s also given no timeline for when federal lead poisoning prevention activities might continue. —Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 11 June 2025

That credential facilitated a job with the New York Department of Public Health, which led to a wide range of assignments in everything from tobacco control to lead poisoning. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2025

Later analyses attributed their deaths in part to tuberculosis, pneumonia and lead poisoning. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 May 2025

Local authorities had asked the CDC for assistance investigating and responding to the lead poisoning before Kennedy's layoffs gutted the branch. —Alexander Tin, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1842, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lead poisoning

noun

: an abnormal condition that is caused by absorption of lead into the body and results in various bodily symptoms (as tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite, and paralysis or weakness of the muscles)

Medical Definition

lead poisoning

noun

: a serious acute or chronic condition that is caused by exposure and absorption of lead (such as lead carbonate) and is characterized by variable symptoms including fatigue, abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, impaired cognitive development or function, joint and muscle pain, loss of appetite, anemia, a dark line along the gums, encephalopathy, seizures, paralysis, and kidney damage

called also plumbism, saturnism