AMOLF researchers, led by Lukas Helmbrecht, developed a perovskite-based Lead test 1,000 times more sensitive than existing methods. Luminescent green light reveals Lead on various surfaces. The innovation led to Lumetallix, providing affordable kits for global health impact.
Lead exposure is a worldwide health risk despite substantial declines in blood lead levels following the leaded gasoline phase-out. For the first time, to our knowledge, we aimed to estimate the global burden and cost of intelligence quotient (IQ) loss and cardiovascular disease mortality from lead exposure.
Lead exposure, once thought to be on the decline, continues to pose a significant global health risk. Despite strides in reducing lead levels in the wake of the phasing out of leaded gasoline, new research reveals a sobering truth. A recent study, conducted for the first time on a global scale, estimates the burden and economic cost of lead exposure, specifically focusing on intelligence quotient (IQ) loss in children and cardiovascular disease mortality in adults. The findings are alarming.
Lead exposure remains a substantial public health concern worldwide. Even with progress in reducing blood lead levels, there are lingering threats to human health. This comprehensive study aims to quantify the worldwide impact of lead exposure on intelligence and cardiovascular health, shedding light on the hidden consequences of this silent toxin.
This groundbreaking modeling study utilized blood lead level estimates from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. Researchers assessed IQ loss in children under 5 years old and calculated the associated economic costs. Cardiovascular disease mortality in adults over 25 years old due to lead exposure was also determined. All estimates were categorized by World Bank income classification and region, focusing on low and middle-income countries in 2019.
Findings: The results are startling. In 2019, it is estimated that children under 5 years old worldwide lost a staggering 765 million IQ points due to lead exposure. Furthermore, lead exposure led to the premature deaths of 5,545,000 adults from cardiovascular disease. Of these losses, 90.2% occurred in low and middle-income countries. The economic toll is equally concerning, with the global cost of lead exposure totaling $6.0 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 6.9% of the world’s GDP.
These findings underscore the immense health and economic repercussions of global lead exposure, rivaling those of PM2.5 air pollution. While progress has been made, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of blood lead level data, particularly in low and middle-income countries. The study serves as a stark reminder that lead exposure continues to exact a significant toll on global health and economies.
Funding: The research was supported by the Korea Green Growth Trust Fund and the World Bank’s Pollution Management and Environmental Health Program.
Read the full article on thelancet.com
The lead exposure threat is especially serious for children. Lead is pervasive in materials such as water pipes, paints, glass, electronic components, and ammunition.
Due to activities like mining, coal power plants, or recycling, this heavy metal ends up directly in the environment. It poses a particular threat to small children and can cause lifelong consequences, including neurological disorders, learning difficulties and severe physical illnesses. Fortunately, people can remove this toxin from the environment relatively easily once they know it is present. The challenge lies in detecting its presence, because the process typically requires complex laboratory techniques to separate and enrich the element from samples.
Detecting dangerous levels of lead in the environment may become significantly easier in the future. A research group led by Willem L. Noorduin has developed a method in which a sample is sprayed with a chemical and then examined with a UV lamp. Using this lamp, researchers can immediately determine if lead is present. As reported in the journal “Environmental Science & Technology,” the method correctly identified the presence of lead in experiments with over 50 samples. It also worked at very low concentrations and with all types of lead compounds. The spray contains methylammonium bromide, a substance that forms a semiconducting mineral with lead. This mineral emits a green glow under UV light.
The discovery revolves around perovskites, a class of materials with versatile properties that many groups and companies are currently studying intensively. Solar cells based on lead-containing semiconducting perovskites achieve over 25 percent efficiency. Noorduin and his team originally developed methylammonium bromide for perovskite production, and the ability to detect lead in the environment emerged as a fortunate discovery for the research group. The chemical reaction that forms the perovskite when the spray contacts lead, even in the presence of water or acid that would typically break down perovskites, remains somewhat mysterious.
A man melts metallic lead waste used in the production of cooking pots, at a recycling warehouse in Koumassi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
A man melts Lead metallic wastes, use in the production of cooking pots, at a recycling warehouse in Koumassi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
It’s not just damaging for individuals. It also comes at a large economic cost for society at large. Impacts on brain development, cognitive function, and productivity affect a country’s output and earning potential.
Researchers estimate that in some countries, the costs of Lead exposure are equivalent to as much as 6% of GDP. The cost of the problem is large because the numbers affected are too: figures compiled by UNICEF, Pure Earth, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, and the World Health Organization estimates that Lead poisoning affects around every third child in the world.
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