Webinar: Powerful Research on the Scale and Impact of Lead Poisoning Globally
May 9 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am
From the UNICEF-Pure Earth report “The Toxic Truth” we know that at least 800 million children globally have blood lead levels at or above 5 µg/dL, nearly all of them in lower and middle income countries. We know lead is bad for kids — but it is also bad for communities and economies.
Growing research indicates that lead poisoning has significant negative impacts on health, child development and economic growth in lower and middle income countries, with profound implications for international development programs globally.
Two distinguished experts will share their groundbreaking research on how lead poisoning affects people and economies:
Bjorn Larsen is an International Development and Environment Economist and World Bank Consultant. His research focuses on environmental health issues including air pollution and lead and arsenic exposure.
Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD is a Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Her research investigates the health effects of environmental exposures, molecular pathways and gene-environment interactions, and effective interventions for reducing involuntary exposures and their health effects. She trained in Medicine at the University of Granada, Spain, and completed her residency training in Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Hospital La Paz, Madrid and her PhD in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. She directs the Columbia University Northern Plains Superfund Research Program, a center that integrates science, technology, and traditional knowledge to protect the Northern Plains water resources and Indigenous communities from hazardous metal exposures. Among other advisory committees and roles, she serves as a member of the National Cancer Advisory Board.