Announcing the commencement of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the World Health Organization requested nations to join forces in tacking this problem which causes more than 143,000 deaths a year.
The World Health Organization announced Friday the commencement of Lead Poisoning Prevention Week from October 20 - 26. The organization revealed that this week should lay special focus on dealing with health illnesses caused by lead poisoning. It also requested all nations to join forces to advocate lead paint elimination.
Lead, a toxic metal, accounts for 0.6 percent of the global burden of diseases. Some of the consequences of lead poisoning include developmental, behavioral and neurological disorders, anemia, tiredness and muscle weakness, kidney and liver damage. According to a WHO report, lead poisoning is the cause of over 143,000 deaths and 600,000 new cases of children with intellectual disabilities every year. There is no threshold of how much amount of lead consumption can be deemed safe but the problem is 100 percent preventable.
When consumed in higher levels, lead poisoning can damage the brain and central nervous system leading to convulsions, coma and even death. Children who survive lead poisoning often face intellectual impairment and behavioral disorders. Even low exposure can cause lower IQ and behavioral changes like shorter attention span, increased anti-social behavior and reduced educational attainment in children.
Lead paint is often found in toys, homes, furniture and many other objects. Most often, decaying lead paint on walls and furniture gathers dust, which children ingest easily.
Maria Neira, director for Public Health and Environment at the World Health Organization, said 30 countries phased out use of lead paint and the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint has set a target of 70 countries by 2015.
"The good news is that exposure to lead paint can be entirely stopped through a range of measures to restrict the production and use of lead paint," Neira said.
WHO announced that countries including Albania, Armenia, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, and Serbia have agreed to join the campaign to build awareness about lead poisoning and help train and educate health professionals about the ill effects of exposure to lead.
Western Europe and then Central and Eastern Europe first began the elimination of lead from petrol. This has resulted in a significant fall in blood lead levels in children over the last two decades. However, petrol is not the only source of lead release and hence, a lot more needs to be done to completely eradicate this problem.
