A Brainy Menace

Lead poisoning is preventable. Yet widespread use of lead in consumables including paints and gasoline continues to pose major risks to environment and public health. WHO ranks exposure to the  versatile and toxic substance among the top ten priority chemicals of public health concerns in Africa.  In a recent self-assessment survey by WHO, majority of Member States in Africa identified lead poisoning as a key public health threat.

Exposure is pervasive to human health. Lead poisoning kills about 494,550 people yearly, accounting for over 9.3 million disability adjusted life years (DALYs) due to long-term health effects. In Africa, it is responsible for about 22,605 deaths in 2016. There is no known safe concentration of lead in the blood.  In the body, the heavy metal affects brain, liver, kidney and bones.  Exposure produces a spectrum of irreversible injuries including loss of cognition, shortening of attention span, alteration of behavior, attention deficit disorders, hypertension etc.

Children are most vulnerable. When a child is exposed to lead, it is the whole family, the whole community and society as well as the whole economy that suffer. A lead contaminated child will have difficulties in school and engage in impulsive and violent behavior. Exposure also include increased rate of hyperactivity, failure to graduate from school, delinquency, drug use and incarceration. The effects are life-lasting with enormous cost on society in terms of lost productivity. A recent study shows that lead poisoning in kids cost Africa almost $134 billion yearly, in economic losses –almost 4% of GDP, the highest burden in proportionate terms compared to all regions.

Lead-based paints remain the most important source of exposure. While the use of lead in paints has longed been regulated in most advanced economies, it still continues to be added in paints produced, imported and exported in many countries including most of Africa. Africa region has the highest number of countries in the world without any lead paint restrictions.  Lead is added to paints to enhance color, dryness and corrosion, with significant risks to public health. As lead paint ages, it flakes and crumbles, creating lead contaminated dust. When used in homes, schools, and playgrounds, it can be a source of lead exposure to children, who easily ingest dust by putting their hands in their mouths.

Prevention remains key and cost effective.  Studies show that for every $1 spent to reduce lead hazards, there is a benefit of 17-220$ in returns— making it the single most cost-beneficial medical or public health intervention. Lead free alternative paints of comparable quality and prices already exist in the market.

Laws and regulations are critical to protect human health and environment. While most African governments have made great strides in eliminating lead from gasoline, much more efforts still remain to regulate lead in paints. Experiences show that countries with enforceable regulations on  paints have successfully reduced the level of lead poisoning in children. It is therefore, more cost-effective to ban new lead paint and promote lead-safe alternatives than to remediate contaminated homes, schools and playgrounds. For example, cleaning up a typical house cost about $11000. But this figure pales in comparison to the life time cumulative cost of lead poisoning.

Ensuring an environment free of lead requires collective efforts. WHO has therefore partnered with UNEP and key industry association to form the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint. This is a cooperative initiative to catalyze multi-stakeholder efforts at all levels to prevent children’s exposure from leaded paints as well as minimize occupational exposures to such paints.  Its broad goal is to promote the phase-out of the manufacture and sale of paints containing lead and eventually eliminate the risks that such paints pose.

 Everyone has a role.  Clearly more work is needed to make our homes, schools, churches and playgrounds, lead free— so our kids can have the best shot at a healthy future. There is need  to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress.  Fortunately, Kenya recently join three other countries in Africa to pass legislation to ban lead in paint. Given the scale of the menace,  a continent-wide wave of bans remains crucial to change the gloomy picture in ways that prevent the risks of lead poisoning.  As policy makers, corporate leaders, citizens, consumers, health care professionals, painters, families and parents we can all learn about the risks, educate our communities and support efforts to ban the use of lead in paints.