Reducing Lead Poisoning

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative works with global partners to prevent lead poisoning across three core strategies:

• Passing and enforcing policies to strengthen regulation
• Identifying and removing lead sources
• Improving blood lead testing and data collection

Lead poisoning is estimated to affect 815 million children – approximately one in three worldwide. Lead exposure also causes more than 1.5 million cardiovascular disease deaths each year, with more than 90 percent of the deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Global sources of childhood lead exposure include: lead-based paint and pigments; lead from industrial sources, such as used lead-acid battery recycling and mining; and lead in consumer products, such as spices, ceramics, metal cookware, and cosmetics. Many countries lack sufficient formal recycling infrastructure and capacity to handle the quantity of used lead-acid batteries and other sources demonstrating the need for intervention.

Addressing an Unmet Need Globally

Bloomberg Philanthropies is supporting lead poisoning prevention efforts in some of the highest-need countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.

We are working with partners to reduce lead poisoning through several approaches, including:

• Conducting blood lead level surveys in children and adults
• Supporting the elimination of lead-based paint
• Conducting market surveys to identify key sources and supporting work to eliminate these sources
• Adapting clinical guidance to countries’ needs and developing a lead policy guidance package
• Training laboratory technicians and developing toolkits on blood lead testing best practices