Lead Poisoning Fact Sheet

Lead Poisoning Deaths

• Approximately one third of the world’s children are lead poisoned—as many as 800 million globally1—at or above the WHO threshold and US CDC action level of 5 µg/dL.
• In 2019, at least 900,000 premature deaths globally, or 1.6% of all deaths, were attributable to lead poisoning—a similar number to deaths caused by HIV/AIDs.
• 92% of the deaths attributable to lead exposures occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
• The global death rate attributable to lead exposures has increased by 21% since 1990—rising steadily even after most countries phased lead out of gasoline.

Negative Impacts of Lead Poisoning

• There is no safe level of lead exposure.
• High levels of lead exposure in pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight.
• Children are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning due to their smaller size and higher rates of lead absorption.
• Blood lead concentrations as low as 5 µg/dL are associated with decreased intelligence in children, behavioral difficulties, and learning problems.
• Lead exposure in young children is also associated with juvenile delinquency, violence and crime later in life.
• Even low levels of childhood lead exposure are associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular, liver and kidney disease later in life.

Lead Poisoning Sources and Exposure Pathways

• Informal used lead-acid battery recycling is a major source of lead poisoning globally.12 85% of the lead used today goes into lead acid batteries, and most of those batteries are made and sold in low- and middle-income countries.
• Contaminated cookware, pottery, spices and cosmetics are also significant sources of lead poisoning.

Economic Costs of Lead Poisoning

• According to 2020 analysis by the World Bank, childhood lead exposure is estimated to cost lower- and middle-income countries almost USD $1 TRILLION IN LOST ECONOMIC POTENTIAL.
• In many countries, economic losses from lead exposure EXCEED THE TOTAL VALUE OF DEVELOPMENT AID to that country.

Lead Poisoning Solutions Exist and are Cost Effective

• The economic benefits of reducing childhood lead exposure in the USA alone is estimated between $110 billion and $319 billion annually.
• Decreases in blood levels have been linked to significant reductions in crime rates.18 •Soil remediation is cost-effective and provides excellent return on investment.
• Soil remediation is cost-effective and provides excellent return on investment.

UNICEF and Pure Earth recommendations on what countries can do to address lead poisoning and pollution and reduce exposure among children:

• Set up monitoring and reporting systems, including blood lead level testing.
• Implement prevention and control measures, including preventing children’s exposure to high-risk sites, remediating contaminated sites and removing lead from products
• Strengthening health systems so that they are equipped to detect, monitor and treat lead exposure among children;
• Conduct public awareness education and behavior change campaigns about the dangers and sources of lead exposure with direct appeals to parents, schools, community leaders and healthcare workers.
• Develop, implement and enforce environmental, health and safety standards for manufacturing and recycling of lead acid batteries and e-waste, and enforce environmental and air-quality regulations for smelting operations.
• Create global metrics to verify results of pollution interventions on public health, the environment and local economies; build an international registry of blood lead level studies; and update international standards and norms around recycling and transportation of used lead acid batteries.