Lead is toxic at any level of exposure, yet it remains common in everyday items such as paint, cosmetics, spices, cookware, and toys—even the food we eat. New research (available as pre-print) shows that industrial lead activities can directly contaminate staple crops and make people sick, with food potentially transmitting up to half of people’s exposure to lead. Because exposure is often invisible, most affected communities don’t know they’re at risk.
That’s why, for this year’s International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week we’re raising awareness about the harms of lead exposure, and taking action against lead exposure with a new forthcoming technical package authored by World Health Organization, with support from Resolve to Save Lives.
PREVENT, WHO’s technical package on lead poisoning prevention, translates existing evidence into a practical, prioritized framework for action. The six key actions of this technical package are structured to guide governments’ efficient and effective implementation of lead poisoning prevention measures:
- Prioritize sources and measure exposures
- Respond to elevated blood lead and address ongoing exposures
- Engage partners, private sector, and the public to increase and sustain momentum
- Verify that regulations align with best practices to protect health
- ENforce regulations to ensure compliance
- Track progress: evaluate implementation and impact on exposure
To learn more and provide feedback on technical package development, join WHO for one webinar per PREVENT module:
| Module 1: Prioritize Sources: Identify priority sources for intervention |
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| Module 2: Respond to Exposures: Ensure Efficient and Country-Appropriate Systems Exist to Detect and Respond to Lead Exposure |
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| Module 3: Lead-Related Industries: Identify and Advance Policies, Regulations, Interventions, and Enforcement in Lead-Related Industries |
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| Module 4: Consumer Products: Advance Policies, Regulations, Interventions, and Enforcement to Reduce and Eliminate Lead Exposure |
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