CGD Lead Poisoning Bi-weekly Update, October 16

New Publications and Resources

• Elevated blood lead levels and associated risk factors among school children in a non-industrialized city in Indonesia. Nurjannah et al. PLOS One. Blood lead level survey of 130 children in Banda Aceh finds 24.6% had elevated BLLs, with a mean BLL of 3µg/dL. Associated factors include being male, mothers’ education, and homes with corrugated iron roofs.

• The Impact of Lead Water Pollution on Birth Outcomes: A Natural Experiment in Scotland. Higney et al. Environmental and Resource Economics. Examines water interventions that reduced lead levels in Glasgow and Edinburgh from 1978, using data from 650,000 births between 1975 and 2000. They find no effects on birth weight, estimating minimal detectable effects, meaning they can rule out even very low changes in birth weight.

• Candidate biomarkers of lead-exposed municipal water biofilms provide insights into lead monitoring potential. Mirza et al. Journal of Applied Microbiology. Finds that biofilms in household pipes retain distinct bacterial traces after lead exposure, meaning water systems could be tested later to detect past lead contamination events.

• Industry and consumer products as lead exposure sources among children across 3 regions in Ghana. Nash et al. Environmental Research. Finds soil contamination near industrial sites and the use of traditional eyeliner are the strongest predictors of high blood lead levels in children. Other sources include dust, cookware, spices, and toys.

• Impact of Occupational Lead Exposure on Lung Cancer Risk in Korean Male Workers: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Lee et al. Cancer Research and Treatment. From a cohort of 26,000 Korean male workers, those with blood lead levels above 3.1 µg/dL were about three times more likely to develop lung cancer over the following decade.

• B-274 Leveraging Dried Blood Spots (DBS) for Universal Lead Screening in Children Free. Olaniyan et al. Clinical Chemistry. Validates dried blood spots as a way of measuring children’s blood lead. The mail-in sampling method could make at-home lead screening feasible and expand early detection in universal testing programs.

• Knowledge on lead exposure among Paint workers in Kirtipur Municipality, Nepal. Paudel et al. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health. Studies 128 paint workers with at least two years of exposure to lead. 9.3% had good knowledge of lead exposure, which was associated with training on hazards.

• Assessment of lead levels in decorative paints and potential health risks in Malawi. Mologo et al. Discover Environment. Finds lead in locally made gloss enamel paints but not in imported paints.

• Early life lead exposure as a risk factor for aggressive and violent behaviour in young adults: A systematic review. Obamuyide et al. Aggression and Violent Behavior. Pooled meta analysis of six studies finds that an increase of 5µg/dL in childhood is associated with a 17% increase in criminal violence in high income countries.

• Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead. Consumer Reports. Lead appears in american public debate again.

• Lead batteries are poisoning millions of children. Here are 3 proven ways to stop it. Pawar. Vox. Suggests applying pressure to international buyers of lead.

Upcoming Events

• Vital Strategies and Pure Earth will host Year 3 Progress Report from Colombia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra, India, and Peru. Monday, October 27, 2025. 09:00-10:15 ET. Register via Zoom here.

• See here for materials from WHO’s International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2025.

Funding Opportunities

• LEEP has launched a new Oppurtunity Fund, which supports research to design or test practical and scalable solutions to reduce lead exposure from any source, as well as activities that reduce lead exposure from paint or lead chromates. Grants are available of up to $100,000, and the first deadline for applications is December 1st 2025.