Shocking Study: Lead Poisoning Causes Over 5m Deaths Annually

News Desk

Islamabad: Toxic lead is having an ever-worse impact on global health, contributing to more than 5 million deaths and air pollution annually, according to a new study.

According to a study done by the World Bank experts, young children in developing countries lose an average of 6 IQ points from exposure to the toxic metal (lead).

As per the foreign news agency ‘AFP’ report, the study has been called a “wake-up call”. Lead pollution is having serious effects on various health problems, especially heart disease and brain development in young children.

Research shows that people can still be exposed to potent neurotoxins through food, soil, cookware, fertilisers, cosmetics, lead-acid car batteries and other sources.

The two World Bank economists who compiled the research report said it was the first to examine the impact of lead exposure on heart disease deaths and IQ loss in children in rich and developing countries.

Researcher Bjorn Larsson said that when he first saw the data, he didn’t even dare to make any changes to the numbers because they were so large.

Cardiovascular disease deaths and IQ loss linked to lead exposure far higher than previous estimates, new global study in @TheLancetPlanet indicateshttps://t.co/kfSjHd8q1l pic.twitter.com/YBY4RHB8ss

— The Lancet (@TheLancet) September 12, 2023

It is estimated that 55 children died due to heart diseases in 2019 due to the effects of lead. According to the report, this number is six times higher than the previous data. This means that toxins are causing more heart disease than lead, cholesterol and smoking, Larsson added.

In 2019, a total of 765 million IQ points were lost among children under the age of 5 due to lead poisoning globally, and 95 per cent of these losses occurred in developing countries, the report further stated, adding that this figure is 80 per cent higher than the previous estimate.

World Bank researchers put the economic cost of lead exposure at $6 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 7 per cent of global gross domestic product.

The researchers used estimates of blood lead levels in 183 countries taken from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study. While, previous research only measured the effects of lead on heart disease.

The new study looked at several other mechanisms, such as hardening of the arteries, that could lead to stroke. This research model estimated the effect of blood lead in many developing countries, Bjorn further said.

If the results are confirmed, they will be important for public health. But for now, it’s just an interesting hypothesis, Resercher Larsson added.

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Pure Earth President Richard Fuller said that when surveys of developing countries were tested for lead in their blood, they found higher levels than the new study predicted.

The research has found high levels of lead contamination in metal pots and pans, ceramic cookware, paint, cosmetics and toys, and this is why lead poisoning is so high in poor countries, further added Fuller.