We are talking about preventing lead poisoning today.
Hello and welcome to Science in 5.
I'm Vismita Gupta-Smith and these are WHO's
conversations in science.
We are talking to Lesley Onyon today.
Welcome, Lesley.
Lesley, explain to us exactly how big a public health problem
is lead poisoning and who are the people at risk?
Well, thank you for the invitation Vismita.
Lead has a long and dark history and the knowledge of
the effects of lead go back as far as Roman and Greek times.
So almost 5,000 years.
Today, WHO estimates that almost one million people die
from the effects of lead exposure.
We are all potentially at risk from exposure to lead but there
are three groups we are particularly concerned about,
and these are children under five years of age, pregnant and
lactating mothers and adults who are
occupationally exposed.
The effects of lead can often go unrecognized because they
can be insidious and fairly mild, such as anemia,
constipation, abdominal cramps.
However, it is the neurological effects that we are most
concerned about and particularly
those affecting children.
So, the neurological effects themselves can range in severity from
irritable behavior, clumsiness, right through to
more serious, life-threatening neurological diseases and
effects such as encephalopathy and coma,
convulsions and death.
Adults are also affected, particularly cardiovascular
diseases and renal diseases.
These are affecting occupational
groups in particular.
Exposure to lead is often not serious in an acute incident,
but the repeated exposure at low levels can give rise to
these severe neurological impacts that last a lifetime.
Lesley, describe to us the sources of lead
poisoning around us.
There are a large number of sources of
potential lead exposure.
We already have taken action on a number of these.
For example, the outlawing of leaded petrol, the controls
on use of leaded water pipes for drinking water and so on.
But there are still many other sources: leaded paints, the use
of lead in decorative and household paints is a concern.
But there are a variety of other sources too.
We still can find lead in drinking water and food.
It is found in some traditional medicines and cosmetics and in
other household sources and glazed pottery and so on.
The mouthing of objects containing lead is a particular
danger for children.
Small objects such as fishing weights and curtain weights can
easily be swallowed and then have a lasting effect once
remaining in the body.
But there's also the mouthing of amulets and toy jewelry
and so on.
A particular growing
source of lead exposure comes from the recycling of lead acid
batteries and these are a growing need in our society,
whether it be for electric vehicles, whether it
be for small scale uninterrupted power supply.
But the recycling of these batteries is often done under
very poor conditions, often within homes as a sort of
cottage industry in developing countries and therefore whole
communities and families can be affected.
Lesley, WHO and partners are observing lead poisoning
prevention week to raise awareness and call for action
to prevent lead poisoning.
Why is this important even in the midst of a pandemic?
Well, in the pandemic, we often find people spending more time
at home than they had done before and obviously if their
home is contaminated through the presence of lead containing
paint that can be causing dust inside the house.
But also, people might want to get engaged in hobbies which
involve exposure to lead such as soldering of electronics or
making ceramics with glazes or oil painting because oil paint
still can contain lead.
So, there is often an increased hazard if spending more time in
these contaminated environments.
What can people do to prevent lead poisoning?
There are a number of things that people can do to
prevent lead poisoning.
I think in terms of the issue of lead paint, you could check
to see whether your house contains lead paint before
embarking in any major renovation projects,
avoiding cheap, brightly coloured toys,
jewelry and other things that children can put
in their mouths, potentially swallow.
Also important would be to store food and drink in
preferably glass containers,
certainly to not store food in tins that can have solder inside
them containing lead.
I know that it is sort of common practice to reuse
plastic containers these days, but sometimes these plastic
containers can come from lead acid batteries and
other sources, so be very careful there.
Finally, talk to your health care provider if you
have any concerns.
Thank you, Lesley.
That was Science in 5 today.
Until next time, then stay safe, stay healthy
and stick with science.