The World Health Organisation (WHO) is so concerned about the effects of childhood exposure to lead that it has called on all countries to ban lead paint and do away with sources of the toxic metal associated with anaemia, hypertension neurological conditions and, in some cases, violent behaviour.
On Monday the WHO warned there were no safe levels of exposure to lead, which harms children’s health in particular and kills almost a million people globally. The world body identified lead as one of 10 chemicals of major public health concern, “needing action by member states to protect the health of workers, children and women of reproductive age”.
“This preventable harm to children’s brains leads to a tragic loss of potential,” said Dr Maria Nera, WHO director responsible for the department of environment, climate change and health.
“Lead exposure is especially dangerous to children’s developing brains and can result in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), attention span, impaired learning ability and increased risk of behavioural problems.
Monday marked the start of the 10th international lead poisoning prevention week, ending on October 29. This year’s campaign, themed “Say No to Lead Poisoning”, is aimed at reminding governments, civil society and the health industry of the dangers of lead exposure.
The campaign builds on the success of outlawing the use of lead in petrol and the regulation of lead levels in paint by various countries, including SA.
SA has made progress limiting lead exposure, starting with banning its use in petrol in 2006, and reduced the amount of lead in paint from 0.6% in 2009 to 0.009 in October 2021, including paints used in industrial settings, on road signs and billboards, research continues to show a high prevalence of lead exposure in the country.
A 2007 study by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) found nearly three quarters of children between the ages of five and 12 in Cape Town, Kimberley and Johannesburg had lead poisoning. In Johannesburg, 84% of children had blood lead levels of 5 µg/dL or higher, whereas the proportions were 57% in Kimberley and 66% in Cape Town.
In 2012, another study led by the SAMRC’s director of the environment and health unit, Prof Angela Matthee, found 74% of schoolchildren, aged six to 14, in the Western Cape fishing towns of Elandsbaai and Struisbaai had lead poisoning.
Unicef estimates that one in three children or 800-million across the world have blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL, and therefore “immediate global action is needed to address this problem”.
Lead is toxic to multiple body systems, including the central nervous system and brain, reproductive system, kidneys and cardiovascular system.
The WHO estimates that 30% of idiopathic intellectual disability, 4.6% of cardiovascular disease and 3% of chronic kidney diseases can be attributed to lead exposure.
Sources of lead exposure include industrial settings like mining and smelting, recycling of electronic waste and lead-acid batteries, plumbing and ammunition. The world body said lead levels are particularly problematic in developing countries. Children can ingest flakes and dust from lead-painted toys or surfaces or be exposed through lead-glazed ceramics and some traditional medicines and cosmetics.
Lesley Onyon, unit head for chemical safety within WHO, said while significant progress has been made and the world has seen a significant reduction in the use of lead in paint in the last 10 years, with at least 84 countries now having regulatory controls to limit the production of lead, “there is still more work to be done”.
“Lead poisoning is preventable through a range of measures to restrict uses of lead and to monitor and manage exposures. That is why this year we are widening the scope to prevent all sources of lead exposure,” said Onyon.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.