Lead as a contaminant for living things

A review of published data on the effect of lead on plants, animals, and humans is presented. The main sources of lead into the environment are shown. Among them, the main thing is human industrial activity. The issues of lead intake into plants and its accumulation in underground and aboveground organs are considered. The results of the studies concerning the effects of high concentrations of lead on the basic physiological processes in plants are analyzed. The main causes of the toxic effect of the metal on vital activity of plants are identified. The effect of lead on the animal organism is considered. The conclusion is made that lead toxicity for animals is primarily associated with its effect on cells, where lead has a large number of "targets". Particular attention is paid to the effects of lead on humans. The possibility of the metal intake by transcutaneous, inhalation, and oral is shown. The influence of lead on the physiological processes occurring in the human body, including at the cellular level, is described. A scheme that reflects the main "targets" of the lead action in human cells and the consequences it causes is proposed. A number of questions regarding the study of the lead effect on living organisms, which require study in the coming years, have been identified.