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- CGD Lead Poisoning Bi-weekly Update, November 28
CGD Lead Poisoning Bi-weekly Update, November 28
Theo Mitchell & Rachel Bonnifield
November 28, 2025
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 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
Millions of Children Need Life-Changing Lead Poisoning Medicine. Why Isn’t It Affordable? Theo Mitchell and Rachel Bonnifield. Center for Global Development. We estimate that more than one million children in India require chelation therapy. We argue that succimer is the best choice of drug for children and outline the steps needed to bring the price down.
Does Lead Exposure Really Kill Five Million People Per Year? (Probably, Yes). Lee Crawfurd. Center for Global Development. The headline mortality estimates rely on observational data; Crawfurd argues that the limited causal evidence available points to similar numbers.
Recycling Lead for U.S. Car Batteries Is Poisoning People. Peter S. Goodman et al. The New York Times. American car battery manufacturers rely on intermediaries that import lead from highly polluting factories in Nigeria.
The Auto Industry Was Warned: Battery Recycling Was Poisoning People. Will Fitzgibbon. The New York Times. A history of American car manufacturers ignoring calls for action on global lead poisoning. One battery maker reportedly blocked new standards from being made by sending 50 representatives to a meeting to vote against them.
UK to launch first lead poisoning screening study of children after FT investigation. Laura Hughes. Financial Times. Following an FT podcast series on lead poisoning in the UK, the government will begin a pilot lead screening program in Leeds. Officials say if the pilot is successful, the methods could inform a national screening programme.
Personalized lead exposure information and preventive behaviors in Ivory Coast: Insights from a pilot study. Gille et al. PLOS One. Mothers reported preventing children from eating paint chips after previously seeing XRF device results proving that their homes contained lead.
EPA to provide $3 billion to US states to reduce lead in drinking water. Reuters. The money will go toward finding and removing lead pipes.
Tool 8: National legal frameworks for regulating sources of lead exposure. Partnership for a Lead-Free Future. The tool offers practical guidance for governments developing or updating legislation to reduce lead exposure