800 million children still exposed to lead
Study documents a persistent, dangerous problem

Date:
October 1, 2020
Source:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Summary:
Every third child in the world has too much lead in their body,
according to a new report from UNICEF and Pure Earth.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
As many as 800 million children have dangerously high lead values in
their blood. The neurotoxin can cause permanent brain damage.


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The huge international numbers come from a new report from Pure Earth
and UNICEF. Pure Earth works to solve pollution problems that can be
harmful to humans.

"A child's earliest years of life are characterized by rapid growth
and brain development. This makes children particularly vulnerable to
harmful substances in the environment," says Kam Sripada, a postdoc
at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) who has contributed to the report.

Sripada collaborates with international organizations to research social
health inequalities, especially among children.

"Exposure to lead during pregnancy and early in life can lead to a child
never reaching his or her potential," she says.

Sripada works at NTNU's Center for Global Health Inequalities Research
(CHAIN) in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Public Health
and UNICEF.



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Lead is an element, but also a powerful neurotoxin that can cause damage
at a level as low as five micrograms of lead per decilitre of blood. Lead poisoning can be acute, and can cause everything from stomach pain to
brain damage, coma and death.

But lead poisoning can also come on slowly, because it accumulates in
the body over a long period of time. The most common symptom is lethargy
due to anaemia.

High lead levels can attack blood and bone marrow, the nervous system
and the kidneys.

Lead poisoning can also contribute to a lower IQ and behavioural problems
that can last a lifetime.

"Lead is a health threat to children in every single country in the world.

However, children in low- or middle-income countries are the most
vulnerable, especially in South Asia and among marginalized groups in
general. There are major social differences when it comes to lead exposure
and other environmental toxins that we need to address," says Sripada.

A lot of the lead comes from lead-acid batteries that are not
responsibly recycled. The number of motor vehicles has tripled in low-
and middle-income countries in the last 20 years, which in turn has
led to a sharp increase in lead-containing batteries. About half of the batteries are not properly recycled or recovered.



========================================================================== Water pipes, industry, paint and a number of household products such as
canned foods, contaminated spices, make-up and toys also contribute. Lead
that was previously used in gasoline is still found in the soil to
this day.

Indirectly, countries can suffer enormous income losses as the children
grow up with these sources of lead exposure. As adults, they often are
not able to contribute optimally to the societal economy.

"This is a report with global significance," says NTNU Professor Terje
Andreas Eikemo, who heads CHAIN.

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in the United States believe that the situation
requires international measures, such as more information and
strengthening of the health care system in several countries.

"This report shines the spotlight on lead as an important global
environmental and health problem that is especially tied to children's
health and development," says Heidi Aase, who heads the NeuroTox study
at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

The NeuroTox study examines relationships between environmental toxins
in the mother's womb, including lead, and various measures of brain development. ADHD, autism and cognitive functions are considered in a
large sample of Norwegian children. Environmental toxins found in the
mother's body during pregnancy can affect the baby's development.

CHAIN will use the NeuroTox study to study relationships between
socio-economic factors, such as income, education and living conditions,
and levels of lead and other environmental toxins in pregnant women and
their children.

"The UNICEF report and other studies show that poverty is associated
with higher lead levels and an increased risk of harmful effects on
health. We'll investigate whether this picture applies to pregnant women
and children in Norway as well," says Aase.

The research results from NeuroTox and CHAIN can also be used in different
ways internationally, such as to prevent social inequality in health
including the harmful effects of environmental toxins.

The average blood levels of lead in children from low- and middle-income countries in the UNICEF report are far higher than in Norwegian children.

Nevertheless, the report has calculated that many Norwegian children
may have lead levels above the limit that we know has harmful effects
on brain development.

"This is concerning," says NeuroTox researcher Gro Dehli Villanger.

Studies show that damage to the brain and nervous system can occur at
far lower lead levels than the limit used in the report.

"As of today, no value limit has been established that is considered
safe and therefore the number of children affected could be much higher
both in Norway and in other countries," says Villanger.

Source: "The toxic truth. Children's exposure to
lead pollution undermines a generation of future
potential" (https://www.unicef.org/reports/toxic-truth- childrens-exposure-to-lead-pollution-2020)

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Norwegian_University_of_Science_and_Technology. Original written by
Steinar Brandslet. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


==========================================================================


Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201001113555.htm

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