Mitigating Lead Exposure in the Philippines: Health Surveillance

The Mitigating Lead Exposure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) project seeks to reduce lead exposure in Asia, Africa, and Latin America from exposure sources such as metal and ceramic cookware, adulterated spices, environmentally unsound used lead-acid battery (ULAB) recycling, and cosmetics. The overarching objective is to assist governments and stakeholders in strengthening institutional capacities, programs, and policies to effectively assess, prioritize, and mitigate lead exposure. Project countries include Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Peru, and the Philippines.

In the Philippines, the Mitigating Lead Exposure in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) project is focused on reducing lead exposure through institutionalizing lead detection and treatment into the national health system.

Pure Earth Philippines has been working alongside the government to implement blood lead level surveys in the country since 2021, when Pure Earth worked with the government to include testing for lead in their National Nutrition Survey, which takes place every three years, with the support of USAID. . Hopefully, this effort will lead to the creation of a national program to monitor lead poisoning. The 2021 lead poisoning survey, which tested 3000 children and pregnant women across 13 areas of the Philippines, found that over one million children ages 5-9 years have elevated blood lead levels. In September 2024, in partnership with Pure Earth Philippines, Valenzuela City launched its first Blood Lead Level (BLL) screening program, focusing on children with disabilities. This was the first city-led BLL screening and first screening for a particular sector, children with disabilities, in the Philippines. Pure Earth Philippines’ next focus is institutionalizing lead monitoring and surveillance in the country.

Project Objective: Lead detection and treatment is institutionalized as part of the national health system service package (i.e. identification, prevention, treatment). 

Expected Outcomes:

1. Institutionalized blood lead level (BLL) testing in national food and nutrition surveys.
2. Institutionalized case detection and screening of lead poisoning in high-risk areas and for vulnerable populations (e.g. among children with disabilities) at primary health level.
3. Institutionalize referral pathways (i.e. a protocol establishing referral criteria depending on different BLL levels) and case management in “poisoning management centers.”
4. National database or platform for exposure source information is established.

Project Activities:

1. Contribute to the development of protocol for detection and treatment of lead poisoning integration into Universal Health Care package.
2. Contribute to the development and adoption of national clinical case management clinical guidelines.
3. Facilitate training of healthcare providers on updated protocols / guidelines.
4. Expansion of BLL monitoring system in the Philippines.