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In 2019, lead exposure accounted for over 902,000 deaths and 21.7 million years of healthy life lost (measured in Disability Adjusted Life Years or DALYs) worldwide due to the long-term effects of lead exposure.

Although there is no safe limit for exposure to lead, an estimate by IHME shows that globally 815 million children (ages 0-19) have blood lead levels above 5 μg/dL. 

Lead is a potent neurological and cardiovascular toxicant. The potential negative effects of lead are far greater for children than for adults because:

1) children breathe, drink and eat more per unit of body weight than adults. Consequently, their relative intake of lead from contaminated air, food or water is also higher.
2) the blood-brain barrier is still developing in children. Therefore, neurological damage often occurs at higher levels for children than in adults with similar levels of lead exposure.

High levels of lead exposure can lead to anorexia, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In serious cases, it can cause life-threatening encephalopathy, resulting in convulsions, seizures, blindness, mental retardation and even death.

Lead is easily found in the environment, and children are exposed to it through multiple routes. Examples - inhaling dust and fumes from informal used lead-acid battery recycling operations and open-air smelters, eating food contaminated by lead-glazed pottery and lead-infused spices, living in homes with peeling lead paint, playing, and even working, in lead-laced electronic waste dumps.

Therefore it is essential to prevent the circulation of lead-contaminated products and materials, such as contaminated toys, spices, etc in the market, and identify and control hazardous sites such as landfills, battery recycling sites and lead-contaminated fields where animals graze or children play.

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