The World Health Organisation on Thursday called on countries to step up efforts to prevent exposure to lead, which affects hundreds of millions of children worldwide, while estimates indicate that it contributes to more than 3.5 million deaths annually around the world. Bruce Gordon, head of the organisation’s Department of Environment, said: ‘Lead poisoning is among the world’s most serious environmental health threats, yet it is also among the most overlooked.’
Lead classified as a widespread health threat
The organisation classifies lead among the 10 chemicals of greatest concern for public health, alongside arsenic, asbestos, mercury and highly hazardous pesticides. It describes exposure to lead as a widespread, preventable health threat.
Its estimates indicate that 815 million children have blood lead levels of at least five micrograms per decilitre, a level that its guidance says requires a review of how they are exposed to lead and action to reduce or end that exposure.
Impact of lead exposure on children’s development
Gordon told journalists that ‘more than one in three children worldwide exceed the action level set by the World Health Organisation’. He added that a child may be exposed to lead without showing any obvious symptoms. Lead poses a particular risk to children because their developing brains and nervous systems are highly vulnerable to its toxic effects.
The organisation said that a level of 3.5 micrograms may be associated with lower intelligence, behavioural disorders and learning difficulties in children. Lead is a toxic metal that occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust, but the organisation says its widespread use has caused extensive environmental contamination and human exposure, resulting in major health problems.
Sources of exposure and the absence of a safe level
Exposure can occur through paint, cooking utensils, cosmetics, spices, informal recycling and industrial pollution, among other sources. The World Health Organisation stresses that there is no known safe level of exposure to lead and that exposure to relatively low levels can cause irreversible harm.
After entering the body, lead spreads to several organs, including the kidneys, brain and liver, and also reaches the bones. In 2021, the organisation recommended identifying and eliminating the source of contamination for anyone with a blood lead level of at least five micrograms per decilitre.
Countries acknowledged that exposure to lead is a major public health concern and tasked the World Health Organisation with developing a global action plan, which is due to be presented at the next annual assembly of member states in May. The organisation is also working to strengthen laboratory capacity to conduct blood lead level tests in Brazil, India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania.
The latest assessment by the World Health Organisation showed that fewer than half of countries have legally binding controls on lead content in paint. Gordon stressed the need for countries to act to remove lead from products and the environment.
