September 2013: The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a fact sheet on Lead Poisoning and Health. The information includes: key facts on lead exposure; sources and routes of exposure; health effects of lead exposure in children; and WHO activities on the issue.

According to the fact sheet: lead is a cumulative toxicant affecting multiple body systems; childhood lead exposure contributes to approximately 600,000 new cases of intellectual disability in children annually; lead exposure accounts for 143,000 deaths a year; and lead poisoning is entirely preventable.

The two key sources and routes of exposure are: inhalation of lead particles generated by burning materials containing lead, for example during smelting, informal recycling, stripping leaded paint and using leaded gasoline; and ingestion of lead-contaminated dust, water (from leaded pipes), or food (from lead-glazed or lead-soldered containers). The fact sheet notes that the health effects of lead poisoning on children include anemia, hypertension, renal impairment, immunotoxicity and toxicity to the reproductive organs, as well as reduced intelligence.

WHO reports that it is currently developing guidelines on preventing and managing lead poisoning, which are intended to provide policy-makers, public health authorities and health professionals with evidence-based guidance on measures to protect the health of children and adults from lead exposure. [WHO Lead and Health Fact Sheet] [Website of WHO-UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP)]