Lead poisoning killed 540,000 people and caused the loss of 13.9 million years of productivity due to disability in 2016, a report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says.
According to the institute’s report cited in the World Health Organisation (WHO) website, the planet’s developing regions bore the highest burden of lead poisoning.
Lead is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the earth’s crust.
The heavy metal has many uses, including the manufacture of ammunition, jewelry, toys, lead-acid batteries for motor vehicles and energy storage, in pigments and paints, solder, ceramic glazes, as well as in some cosmetics and traditional medicines.
Lead is also an important additive used in car fuel in a few countries. The processing, use and disposal of lead can result in environmental contamination and exposure to humans.
The report that named children as a high-risk group for lead poisoning comes as the world marks the
International lead poisoning prevention week of action, which runs from October 21-27.
The campaign is part of the United Nation’s International Programme on Chemical Safety.
"Even though there is wide recognition of the harmful effects of lead and many countries have taken action, exposure to lead, particularly in childhood, remains of key concern to health care providers and public health officials worldwide," WHO said.
Concern is rising
over the presence of lead in commonly used substances such as paint that children can easily be exposed to.
"Of particular concern is the role of lead exposure in the development of intellectual disability in children," WHO says.
Eighteen years ago in 2002, participating governments at the World Summit on Sustainable Development called for lead paint to be phased out.
Nine years later in 2011, the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance) was formed to promote the eventual phasing out of the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead and elimination of the risks that these paints pose.
During the campaign week, the alliance aims to raise awareness about health effects of lead poisoning.
The group also seeks to highlight countries and partners' efforts to prevent particularly childhood lead poisoning and urge further action to eliminate lead paint through regulatory action at country.
A key requirement for achieving this is the establishment of appropriate national rules and regulations to stop the manufacture, import, export, distribution, sale and use of lead paints and products coated with lead paints.
In the Alliance's business plan, all countries should have set up such a regulatory framework by 2020.
In a survey carried out by the two UN bodies WHO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which jointly coordinate the Lead Paint Alliance, only 69 governments confirmed putting in place measures to control sale of lead paint by June 30.
In spite of the progress recorded, the journey to achieving a legally enforceable universal ban on lead paints still remains a long one since the WHO has 194 member states.
"There is still, a significant gap to achieving the 2020 goal set by the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead paint that all countries should have banned lead paint," the WHO says.
In eliminating lead paint, countries will contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal
3.9, which aims at substantially reducing the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination by 2030.
The reports says the successful elimination of lead paints will also help achieve Goal 12.4, which targets the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international laws.
It will significantly reduce the release of lead compounds to the air, water and soil by 2020 to significantly minimize their adverse impact on human health and the environment.