Advocacy Update: U.S. Congressional Committee Report Features Global Lead Exposure

This post is written by Mark Engman, Pure Earth Director of Policy Advocacy, as part of a series of updates on Pure Earth’s advocacy efforts to address pollution. 

Pure Earth’s mission to prevent lead and mercury poisoning globally means engaging with governments, sharing evidence on the scale and impact of these toxins and proposing solutions.

For the past several years, we’ve worked to educate the U.S. Congress and advocate for funding to address lead exposure globally. We’ve shared Pure Earth’s research and solutions with Congressional offices, including the recent report on sources of lead poisoning in several U.S. states that found imported consumer products are important causes of lead exposure.

That work is paying off. Just recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its version of legislation to fund Fiscal Year 2025 global development and humanitarian programs. In the accompanying explanatory report, the Committee provides $4 million for lead exposure, same as it did last year. This year, the report included a paragraph (starting p. 111) that highlights how lead affects children, mentions needs to address sources of lead exposure like lead acid batteries, contaminated metal and ceramic cookware, adulterated spices, and lead-based paint among others. The Committee also directs the heads of the State Department and USAID to update it on efforts to lower lead poisoning globally.

This is the first time that a Congressional Committee report has ever commented on the threat of lead exposure globally. Combined with the Senate Resolution introduced earlier this year, they show Senators are beginning to understand the importance of this issue, and to call for U.S. leadership in stopping childhood lead poisoning globally by addressing the problem at its source.

Pure Earth applauds the Chair and Ranking Member of the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), for including the funding and narrative on lead exposure globally in this year’s legislation. There is still a long way to go; the House version did not include this language. As the House and Senate work to iron out their differences and pass a final bill, we will be pushing them to keep these references to lead exposure.