Fighting Lead Poisoning

Lead is a heavy metal widely used in industrial processes and everyday items. Lead exposure can occur through various pathways, including the informal recycling of lead-acid batteries, the use of lead-based paints in homes, and the consumption of food contaminated with lead or cooked in lead-tainted cookware. But even trace amounts of lead are toxic and can cause serious health problems, including cognitive impairments, heart disease, anaemia, and low birth weight.

Despite being a critical issue in India, lead exposure doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Problem

Solution

Evidence

In a 2016 meta-analysis of blood lead levels (BLLs) in India, it was found that lead exposure accounted for nearly 165,000 deaths and impacted one in two Indian children, with lifelong physical and mental health issues, including reduced IQ, antisocial behaviour, and lower educational attainment.

A 2020 report from UNICEF and Pure Earth highlighted that 275 million Indian children have blood lead levels above the WHO threshold, leading to significant deaths from cardiovascular disease.

Subsequently, a NITI-Aayog – CSIR-NEERI study reviewed this report and analysed 36 studies from 1970 to 2014. They found the average BLLs in 23 states in India to be well above 5 µg/dl, confirming the urgency of this issue.

Although India is making strong strides toward achieving the zero-dose goal set by the Immunization Agenda 2030, millions of children in India still do not receive their vaccinations.

Our country suffers the death of one child every four minutes as a result.

The significant number of preventable diseases and deaths persist despite India’s early contributions to vaccine research and development, its current position as a leading global producer of vaccines, and significant progress in strengthening vaccine supply over recent years due to government investment.

The high number of unvaccinated children can be attributed to a range of factors, including socio-economic disparities and cultural beliefs that might hinder vaccine acceptance.

One effective approach to addressing some of these challenges is a combination of targeted communication strategies and active community engagement, both of which are crucial for building trust and combating misinformation within communities.

Specifically:

Caregivers receive SMS notifications and voice calls about upcoming opportunities to have their children vaccinated.

Local immunisation ambassadors are enlisted who receive one text message and one voice call every month asking them to remind their friends, family, and other community members of the value of immunisation.

A large-scale randomised controlled trial was conducted to identify interventions that lead to uptake in vaccination rates. The effort was led by a team from MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including two recent Nobel laureates, Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee.

The study was conducted in Haryana, which has one of the lowest immunisation rates in the country, at around 39%.

Testing various solutions, they found that a combination of immunisation ambassadors and SMS reminders increased the number of children going to government-run immunisation camps by 25% and was more cost-effective than other interventions tested. Many other studies have also proved the efficacy of SMS interventions in increasing uptake in vaccine adoption.

Strategies to reduce lead exposure typically depend on the specific context and source. However, preventing new lead from entering the environment is often more practical and effective than trying to remove existing lead contamination.

Key individual measures include advocating for stricter lead-based paint regulations, educating consumers about lead-contaminated food products, promoting formal recycling of lead-acid batteries, and cleaning up toxic hotspots.

However, to effectively reduce lead exposure, a more comprehensive strategy is necessary.

There is strong evidence showing that regulating lead use, such as through binding laws on lead paint, significantly lowers blood lead levels across populations.

While voluntary measures have limited impact, legally enforced controls drive more sustainable and meaningful change. On a global scale, organisations like the Lead Exposure Elimination Project which drives effective policies to eliminate lead poisoning, conduct country-specific research, and support governments in implementing lead paint regulations, have seen early success in key results and impact.

Non-profit partner

Impactful Giving partners with the India-Lead Elimination Action Project (i-LEAP), which tackles the pressing issue of lead-poising.

We partner with the India-Lead Elimination Action Project (i-LEAP), an initiative by the Pahle India Foundation, which is working to bring together all the relevant stakeholders to fight against lead poisoning in India. Read more about i-Leap here.

Give to this program

Give to our Health and Development Fund

Learn more about iLeap