The focus of the WHO International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2023 is “End Childhood Lead Poisoning”. Lead is the world’s top toxin (World Bank).
- Hundreds of thousands of UK children are estimated to have lead poisoning.
- Lead toxicity is linked to brain damage and life-long health impacts.
- Children are the most vulnerable.
- Lead is still found in paint, pipes, soil, and other sources.
- Lead exposure can happen at home, school, or from take-home lead.
The condition of UK housing and schools has featured heavily in the news recently. One related health impact that is underreported is lead exposure. UNICEF estimated that 186,117 to 281,542 UK children have a blood lead concentration above the Health Security Agency’s intervention level. They also estimated that lead toxicity costs the UK about £6.8 billion per year (UNICEF 2020).
Young children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic harms of lead (WHO 2021). The associated effects include IQ loss, ADHD, lower academic achievement, decreased hearing, language difficulties, problem behaviour, and delayed puberty.
Lead exposure is also associated with long-term harm in adults, including depression, anxiety, panic, heart attack, stroke, increased blood pressure, essential tremor, and reduced kidney function. Exposure in pregnancy is linked to miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight (BUMPS).
No safe level of lead exposure has been identified (WHO 2023).
Lead ingestion can happen if children mouth lead painted surfaces or old toys, when playing in contaminated soil, drinking from lead or lead-soldered pipes. Also from some cosmetics, traditional remedies, glasses, ceramics, spices, jewellery, and from hand to mouth migration of household dust especially from decorating, but also chipped or flaking paint, and rubbing windows or doors (EPA). However, the CDC say that lead poisoning is 100% preventable.
President Biden has said that lead pipes are a “clear and present danger to our children”. Vice-President Harris has said that lead is an “emergency in our country” and “for every dollar we spend on lead remediation, our communities get at least $3 back”. The G7 have encouraged “regulation or control of lead, which can deliver societal benefits that far exceed the costs.”
The UK is probably worse than the USA. We have the oldest housing stock in the world. We stopped using lead in paint, pipes, and petrol decades ago, but the toxic legacy remains. Over half of UK homes were built before lead paint was restricted and lead pipes were banned. 82% of homes were built before most lead paint was made illegal, an estimated 9 million homes still have lead pipes, and lead from petrol is still found in soil.
The cost-benefit ratio for lead hazard reduction is better than that for vaccines (WHO 2010) and there are many low-cost interventions that can help reduce lead exposure. Three cheap, simple, and quick initiatives could include:
- Home surveys to include lead exposure risk assessments
- Place information leaflets in trade and DIY outlets
- GPs to be educated on conditions related to lead and encouraged to provide blood tests
Please don’t let the story of millions of blighted UK lives, and wasted £ billions, remain untold.
The LEAPP Alliance, [email protected], 07768 337619
