CGD Lead Poisoning Update
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CGD Lead Poisoning Bi-weekly Update, January 9

CGD Lead Poisoning Bi-weekly Update, January 9

Theo Mitchell & Rachel Bonnifield
January 09, 2026

Dear Colleagues,

Sharing here CGD’s bi-weekly update on lead poisoning publications, events, job opportunities, and funding announcements.

We welcome submissions for future newsletters at this link. New subscribers can sign up at this link, and existing subscribers can remove themselves from future updates via the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email. We will also invite the new subscribers to join our monthly check-in call.

With best wishes,

Rachel Bonnifield
Director of Global Health Policy and Senior Fellow
Center for Global Development

New Publications and Resources

Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States. The White House. Among the international institutions that Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. to withdraw from is the International Lead and Zinc Study Group, which is an industry-focused data and analysis forum and technical metals group.
Biological Factors That Impact Variability of Lead Absorption and Blood Lead Level Estimation in Children: Implications for Child Blood Lead Level Testing Practices. Del Rio, Sobin & Hettiarachchi. Journal of Environmental Health. Childhood blood lead levels fluctuate more than current U.S. testing assumes. Relying on one or two early-life tests can miss exposure.
Epidemiologic Trends in Pediatric Lead Poisoning at Freestanding Children’s Hospitals, 2016–2023. Hahn et al. Hospital Pediatrics. Analysis of U.S. children’s hospitals (2016–2023) shows 1,137 emergency department visits for lead poisoning, resulting in over $4.5 million mean cumulative annual billed charges.
Lead is all around us. It could be poisoning our children. Rosa Silverman. The Telegraph. Stories of lead poisoning in the UK. The first major lead poisoning study in the UK is being planned in Leeds, with 150,000 finger prick tests to be sent in letters to residents.
ULABs Wrapped 2025. Hugo Smith. Compiles the latest research and developments in the world of used lead-acid battery recycling.

Job Opportunities

Stanford University’s Project Unleaded is hiring a Research and Program Manager.
Lead Exposure Elimination Project is hiring a Head of People and a Chief of Staff.

Upcoming Events

The Center for Global Development has released a call for submissions for the Second Annual Research Conference on Global Lead Exposure. It will be hosted in London, on June 3-4, 2026. This year, in addition to oral and poster presentations of academic papers, we will also accept interactive workshops, briefings, and demonstrations.
The 12th International Conference on Children’s Health and the Environment is accepting submissions for oral and poster presentations. Hosted on 9-10 May in Cairo, Egypt. Register to attend here and submit your abstracts here.