Press Contact
Angela Bernhardt, [email protected]
Sarah Berg, [email protected]
About Pure Earth
Pure Earth is an international non-profit organization dedicated to solving pollution problems in low- and middle-income countries, where human health is at risk.
A leader in global pollution cleanup, Pure Earth has completed 120+ environmental and health interventions in 24 countries, improving the lives of almost 5 million people since its inception in 1999. Project solutions range from small-scale containment and community awareness, to complex multi-modal interventions.
Based in New York, Pure Earth works cooperatively around the world in partnerships that include governments, the international community, NGOs and local agencies, to design and implement innovative, low-cost solutions to save lives.
Key initiatives:
- Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP)
- The Lancet Commission on health and Pollution
- Toxic Sites Identification Program, which has trained over 500 investigators worldwide, and mapped and documented more than 5000 toxic sites in 50 countries.
- The Global Lead Program
- The Global Mercury Program
- Protecting Every Child’s Potential
Pure Earth was formerly known as Blacksmith Institute.
Resources
Key Reports:
The Toxic Truth report from UNICEF and Pure Earth reveals that lead poisoning is affecting children on a massive and previously unknown scale. Around 1 in 3 children – up to 800 million globally – have blood lead levels at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL), the level at which requires action. Nearly half of these children live in South Asia.
Pollution Knows No Borders shows how toxic pollution travels from country to country, not only in the air and water, but also in the food and products we buy.
The Lancet Commission on pollution and health report confirms that pollution is the largest environmental cause of death and disease in the world today, causing 3 times as many deaths as HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB combined, and 15 times more deaths than all forms of violence.
Other Resources:
- Pure Earth Press Releases and News Coverage
- The Pollution Blog
- Pure Earth Newsletters
- Download Pure Earth’s Annual Reports
- Pure Earth research and academic papers
- The Journal of Health and Pollution
- The World’s Worst Polluted Places/Pollution Problems Reports
Access to Pollution Experts
Interviews and Field Access to Pure Earth projects around the world may be available on request. Please contact us to speak with Pure Earth President Richard Fuller and other experts, including members of our Technical Advisory Board, for topics including:
- Global pollution problems and solutions
- The global lead poisoning crisis affecting 1 in 3 children worldwide
- The 3 lesser-known but key sources of lead exposure: unsafe, informal recycling of lead-acid (car) batteries; lead-glazed pottery; contaminated spices.
- mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining
- Toxic Sites Identification Program and our database of polluted sites