7 things to know about lead exposure
Lead is a highly poisonous element that is responsible for nearly 1.5 per cent of annual global deaths – almost as many deaths as from HIV and AIDS, and more than from malaria. Nearly a third of the world’s children – up to 800 million children – are affected by lead poisoning. Lead affects a child’s developing brain, causing decreased…, 1. Lead is everywhere, Children can be exposed to lead in various places. It can be found in many consumer products, like water pipes, paint, food cans, spices, cosmetics and traditional medicines. Harder-to-see sources include air, water, food, toys and even the mud children play in. Lead is also used in industries such as mining and battery recycling. Unborn children…, 2. Lead exposure is hard to detect, One challenge in detecting childhood lead poisoning is that it is hard to observe and recognize. At low to moderate levels of exposure, there are typically no symptoms or physical signs apparent to a clinician. At moderate to high levels of exposure, children may complain of a variety of non-specific symptoms, such as headaches, insomnia,…, 3. Lead affects children more than adults, The potential negative effects of lead are far greater for children than for adults. A child’s brain grows fastest during the early years of childhood, when thousands of neural connections are made every second. Lead exposure can substantially interfere with this complex, important and delicate process. Infants and young children absorb about 4-5…, 4. Lead impacts growth outcomes, Lead exposure can create learning disabilities and challenges that affect children’s executive functioning, impulse control and levels of aggression. These conditions are often irreversible and, studies find, may impact the likelihood of learning and behavioral difficulties, violence, and crime in adulthood. On a broader scale, all of these…, 5. Even a little means a lot, Lead is a potent neurotoxin that, even with low-level exposure, is associated with a reduction in IQ scores, shortened attention spans and potentially violent and even criminal behaviour later in life. Children under the age of 5 are at the greatest risk of suffering lifelong neurological, cognitive and physical damage, and even death, from lead…, 6. Poorer children are at greater risk, It is often the poorest children who are the most severely affected by lead exposure. This is because they are likely to live in areas where exposure risks are higher, such as in places where informal lead-acid battery recycling and smelting operations are more common, near hazardous waste recycling facilities, or in homes that still contain lead…, 7. Prevention is the best cure, Unfortunately, there is no known safe level of lead exposure, and lead poisoning is difficult to cure. Once lead has been in the body for a prolonged period of time, it is very difficult to remove, as it is frequently deposited in bones and teeth. By this point, much of the neurodevelopmental damage has already been done. , Childhood lead poisoning needs an urgent international response, The potential negative effects of lead poisoning can create irreversible damage for children. With prevention as the only effective way to stop the damage caused by lead poisoning, we must act now. Pure Earth, Clarios Foundation and UNICEF launched the Protecting Every Child’s Potential (PECP) initiative in October 2020. PECP recognizes that…
