Can you get lead poisoning from pencil lead?
by 
Answerbag Staff
ANSWERS: 3
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Since pencil lead is actually graphite, it is not possible to get lead poisoning from it. Lead poisoning is when damaging and/or leathal amounts of lead (a very dense heavy metal) enter your bloodstream, causing brain damage and possibly cardiac failure.
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With a modern pencil, no. But some pencils long ago were indeed lead crayons, and could present a poison hazard. I would guess, however, the practice of licking the point of the pencil before beginning to write (as seen in old movies and TV shows, usually done by police writing citations) would introduce more lead over time than having a chunk embedded in your body. (And just why would they lick the point?)
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Continous chewing at the pencil end over a prolonged period may lead to poisoning. This occurs in case of students who have habit of chewing pencil ends in class. The habit needs to be discouraged as it may lead to chronic low dose poisoning.
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