One of the great but underrated health challenges is lead poisoning. Lead is particularly harmful to children, yet one in three children worldwide is affected by it. “Perhaps no one can better understand the urgency of addressing the lead crisis than parents,” said USAID Administrator Samantha Power.
“For decades, lead has poisoned kids in their classrooms, their bedrooms, their playgrounds. Lead lurks in the food that kids eat, the water they drink, the medicines they take, and of course the paint brightening their bedroom walls, and the toys that are helping them learn and grow.”
“For a problem so omnipresent, so invisible, so deadly, the key policy response is actually straightforward: eliminate lead at its source, before it reaches communities,” said Administrator Power.
“Higher-income countries like the U.S. went on to ban lead additives in … products like house paint and water pipes. Starting in 1978, blood lead levels throughout the U.S. dropped 60 percent within 10 years, and 95 percent within 25 years,” she said.
“But in many low- and middle-income countries, there is still very little regulation of lead in products beyond gas, and often no enforcement, or too little enforcement, to ensure that regulations are being followed.”
Leaded gasoline turned out to be a major culprit.
“The successful phase-out of gasoline and other products has given us a straightforward, proven playbook to take on this crisis,” said Administrator Power. This includes blood lead level testing to identify exposures and trace it back to the source; mandatory phasing out of lead in specific products and industries; support for the private sector to transition to lead free cost-comparable alternatives. And finally, enforcement of regulations and assurance that they are being followed, said Administrator Power.
“I’m pleased to announce here today that USAID is committing an initial $4 million toward identifying and addressing common sources of lead exposure in low- and middle-income countries, including blood testing and sampling initiatives. That money is going to fund pilot programs in India and South Africa focused on lead mitigation, while also supporting UNICEF as they work to expand blood testing nationwide to Bangladeshi children.”
“According to the Center for Global Development, we can eliminate lead from two critical consumer sources, paint and spices, for just $30 million,” said Administrator Power. “For a small price we can spare parents of living the nightmare of seeing their kids poisoned in the places where they’re supposed to be safe.”
