The widespread use of lead has caused environmental contamination, and human exposure and significantly contributed to public health problems globally. A recent study led by World Bank Researchers revealed that the global cardiovascular disease mortality from lead exposure of 5·5 million deaths in 2019 is six times higher than the earlier estimate (0·85 million) in GBD (Global Burden of Disease) 2019.
According to a statement, this is close to the number of estimated global deaths from PM 2·5, ambient and household air pollution combined (6·45 million), and more than three times the number of estimated global deaths from unsafe household drinking water, sanitation, and handwashing (1·66 million).
Moreover, the research estimated that worldwide, children younger than 5 years, lost 765 million IQ (Intelligence Quotient) points from lead exposure. The new research also estimates the lead exposure impact on the economy, US$6.0 trillion is equivalent to 6·9 percent of 2019 global gross domestic product.
Primary author of the article, Bjorn Larsen says, “Our study indicates that the damaging health effects from lead exposure are even greater than we previously thought and that they come at a very high economic cost, especially in low- and middle-income countries…consequently, improved quality of blood lead level measurements, lead exposure identification, research, policies, and practices are very urgently needed to address that burden.”
In the year 2019, approximately 1 million/10 lakhs, or 19 percent of global estimated adult deaths from cardiovascular disease associated with lead exposure, were in India.
Moreover, India lost up to 154 million/15.4 crore or 20 percent of the total estimated IQ points lost in children under the age of five. The financial cost of lead exposure to India was US$259 billion, equivalent to 9 percent of India’s 2019 GDP.
The findings of the study were published in The Lancet Planetary Health on September 12.
On Wednesday, Pure Earth, a non-profit organisation, as a response to this published paper released the results of a 25-country survey testing over 5,000 products for lead, identifying sources of this pervasive lead health threat. From India, investigators collected products from marketplaces in 3 states, namely Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
According to Pure Earth, the products most commonly contaminated with lead in India are aluminum cooking pots, toys, paint, spices and kohl eyeliner.
“If the overall high number of people with elevated blood lead levels, associated IQ loss and deaths reported in this lancet paper are true, this high scale of lead impact cannot be solely attributed to previously thought, industrial sources of lead, such as battery recycling. From Pure Earth’s 25-country survey, it is evident that everyday household items, consumer products, and contaminated food items all contribute to widespread lead poisoning,” Lavanya Nambiar, Pure Earth India’s Acting Country Director said in a statement.
Nambiar also said that to solve lead pollution and save lives we need to monitor and stop lead contamination in our cookware, toys, paints, foods, spices and other products that could cause exposure.
“Thankfully, practical solutions are available that involve monitoring lead prevalence through blood lead testing, analysing exposure sources, and addressing the key sources identified with targeted interventions to reduce lead exposures and developing stakeholders’ capacities to enact the critical policies,” she added.
Currently, the spending on lead within development aid is very small – around $10 million. Comparing this to HIV (almost $10 billion) and malaria (over $2 billion), clearly there needs to be more investment in this area globally.
