90% of deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Clean up local
environments
Improve local
industrial practices
What we do
We prioritize actions to protect the developing brains and bodies of children and pregnant women. We work to stop the multigenerational cycle of poisoning that is endemic in low and middle-income countries.
Lead and mercury are two of the most prevalent pollutants in low and middle-income countries. There is widespread use of, and exposure to dangerous forms of lead and mercury. Global Burden of Disease data indicate lead and mercury exposure pose a greater risk than all other Top Ten Chemicals of Concern identified by WHO.
Focusing on Lead and Mercury
Both lead and mercury pollution travel through the global environment in air, water, soil, and through global food supply chains to reach all corners of the earth.
Because of widespread exposure, both toxicants have a significant impact on the trajectory of societies causing disability, IQ loss, increased violence, and restricted futures for poisoned children.
Lead
More than 800 million children globally have a concentration of lead in their blood above 5 micrograms per deciliter – resulting in permanent brain damage and the loss of 3 to 5 IQ points. Childhood lead exposure is estimated to cost lower- and middle-income countries almost USD $1 trillion due to the lost economic potential of these children over their lifetime.
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Mercury
Mercury wreaks similar damage on mothers and infants. It crosses the placenta, poisoning the fetus. Mercury is highly mobile in the environment; it bioaccumulates and transforms in aquatic environments into highly toxic methylmercury. This is why pregnant women are advised to limit intake of certain types of fish.
Learn what we are doing and how to get involved