Toward a lead-free future: The case for action now

Despite affecting an estimated one in three children worldwide – approximately 800 million, the vast majority of whom live in LMICs – lead exposure remains significantly underfunded and largely invisible in global development discourse.

Its consequences are far-reaching and irreversible: from severe cognitive impairment and IQ loss in children to elevated risks of cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases in adults. The issue is further compounded by its deep links to poverty, environmental degradation, informal economies (such as battery recycling), and systemic under-regulation of key sectors including food, paint, and construction.

This conversation will serve as a platform to position lead exposure as a top-tier development threat, one on par with malaria and HIV in terms of scale and long-term harm, yet dramatically neglected when it comes to global financing and attention.

Lead exposure is highly tractable however, and success stories from around the world already demonstrate that when governments, NGOs, and technical partners work in concert, backed by data and political will, rapid progress is possible. In Bangladesh, for example, a targeted intervention on turmeric adulteration brought contamination levels from 47% to zero, and blood lead levels fell by 30% within two years.

Central to the momentum of this conversation is the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF), launched at UNGA 2024 by UNICEF and key partners, which is helping to galvanize political attention, mobilize financial resources, and provide a roadmap for action. The PLF has introduced toolkits and implementation guides to support governments and development actors in moving from measurement to policy to enforcement.

Together with the availability of proven solutions, compelling economic rationale and convening of stakeholders at UNGA, now is the moment to elevate lead exposure on the global agenda and build the cross-sectoral coalitions needed to solve it.