There is no safe level of lead. Lead is toxic at any level of exposure, yet it remains common in everyday items such as paint, cosmetics, spices, cookware, and toys. Lead is also a leading health threat linked to the food we eat, and 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 the exposure from 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 a new forthcoming technical package authored by World Health Organization, with support from Resolve to Save Lives, to guide governments on how to find and stop lead poisoning at the source.
PREVENT, the World Health Organization’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
- This technical package gives governments a practical, evidence-based path to reduce and ultimately eliminate lead exposure as a public health threat.
To learn more, join WHO for one webinar per PREVENT modules:
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- Module 1: Prioritize Sources: Identify priority sources for intervention
- Oct 22 8am US Eastern time (9am Brasilia, 12pm Accra, 3pm Addis, 5:30pm India)
- https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HiqdBH29S8yZBY-F9giosw
- Module 2: Respond to Exposures: Ensure Efficient and Country-Appropriate Systems Exist to Detect and Respond to Lead Exposure
- Oct 27 9am US Eastern time (10am Brasilia, 1pm Accra, 4pm Addis, 6:30pm, India)
- https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TpmrGygXT6SrkKctbyl2Aw
- Module 3: Lead-Related Industries: Identify and Advance Policies, Regulations, Interventions, and Enforcement in Lead-Related Industries
- Nov 3, 8am US Eastern time (10am Brasilia, 1pm Accra, 4pm Addis, 6:30pm India)
- https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/-Bla2J8qQ2ir7j2N-WKcdA
- Module 4: Consumer Products: Advance Policies, Regulations, Interventions, and Enforcement to Reduce and Eliminate Lead Exposure
- Nov 12 8am US Eastern time (10am Brasilia, 1pm Accra, 4pm Addis, 6:30pm India)
- https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/G2eneXQHQ1Sryz3zYOZ8-Q
- Module 1: Prioritize Sources: Identify priority sources for intervention
