Pahle India Foundation hosts international convening on lead poisoning in India

Pahle India Foundation successfully concluded the first international convening titled “Lead Poisoning in India: Status, Challenges, and Way Forward.” The event, which brought together over 60 experts, policymakers, scientists, and doctors from India, the US, and Bangladesh, addressed the issue of lead poisoning.

Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO Chief Scientist and Chairperson of MSSRF, and Sweety L Changsan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, inaugurated the conference. They also launched five research reports undertaken by the think tank and its partners, focusing on various aspects of lead poisoning in India.

According to a 2020 report by UNICEF and Pure Earth, 275 million Indian children have lead levels exceeding 5 μg/dL, the WHO’s threshold for intervention. Lead exposure resulted in an average loss of 6.7 IQ points per child in 2019, causing a $93 million GDP loss for India. Additionally, a 2023 report published in the Lancet indicated that lead poisoning contributed to the deaths of over 10 lakh adults from cardiovascular issues.

The event featured panel discussions, scientific presentations, and networking opportunities, with support from Open Philanthropy and Vital Strategies as knowledge partners. The keynote address was delivered by Prof Philip J Landrigan, a leading expert on lead from Boston College.

Dr Bhushan, Chair of the India Working Group on Lead Poisoning and Distinguished Fellow, Pahle India Foundation remarked in his Inaugural Address, “Because the extent of lead exposure is invisible, it has largely been overlooked in our country. A recent survey we conducted in Jharkhand revealed a distressing reality: a large majority of our doctors and health workers are not even aware of the issue of lead poisoning.”

Dr Swaminathan, former WHO Chief Scientist and Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation- “80 per cent of our health depends on factors outside health sectors, like housing, air, sanitation etc.

That means it will take a whole systems approach to deal with a health issue like lead poisoning-it is not upto the Health Ministry alone, but will need a multisectoral approach.”

Notable panelists included Dr Howard Hu, Professor at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; Dr M Srinivas, Director of AIIMS New Delhi; and Dr Santasabuj Das, Director of ICMR-NIOH. The panels were chaired by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Chairman of Pahle India Foundation, and Dr. Indu Bhushan, Chair of the India Working Group on Lead Poisoning.

The convening marked a critical step in India’s efforts to combat lead poisoning. Participants committed to continuing their collaboration to develop effective solutions to mitigate the effects of lead poisoning for current and future generations in India.