WHO urges to improve lead exposure prevention
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to enhance their efforts to prevent lead exposure, a pervasive issue affecting hundreds of millions of children globally. Bruce Gordon, director of WHO's environment department, emphasized that lead poisoning represents one of the world's most significant yet under-addressed environmental health threats. The WHO has classified lead among the ten chemicals of major public health concern, joining arsenic, asbestos, mercury, and highly toxic pesticides.
Lead exposure is responsible for over 3.5 million preventable deaths annually worldwide. According to WHO, 815 million children have blood levels of at least five microgrammes per decilitre, a threshold that should prompt investigations into the cause of lead exposure and subsequent actions to mitigate or eliminate it. Over a third of children worldwide exceed WHO's action level for lead exposure.
Children are especially vulnerable due to their developing brains and sensitive nervous systems, often showing no external symptoms of lead exposure.
Lead contamination stems from various sources, including paint, cookware, cosmetics, spices, informal recycling, and industrial processes. The WHO stresses that there is no safe level of lead exposure, and even minimal exposure can inflict irreversible harm. Lead can infiltrate vital organs such as the kidneys, brain, liver, and bones once absorbed into the body.
While raising awareness is essential, it is insufficient alone. In 2021, the WHO recommended identifying and eliminating contamination sources for individuals with blood lead levels of at least five microgrammes per decilitre. Research indicates that 3.5 microgrammes can lead to diminished intelligence, behavioral disorders, and learning difficulties in children.
WHO has recognized lead exposure as a significant public health concern and is tasked with developing a global action plan to be unveiled at the organization's next annual assembly in May.
To bolster laboratory capacity for blood lead level testing, WHO is enhancing capabilities in Brazil, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, and Tanzania. Gordon reiterated that mere awareness is insufficient; nations must transition to effective policymaking and enforcement. The WHO's assessment also revealed that fewer than half of countries possess legally binding controls on lead in paint.
The focus must now shift upstream, removing lead from products and environments before it infiltrates a child's bloodstream, according to Gordon.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
