Stanford Experts Sound Alarm on “Remarkably Harmful Toxin” from industries that, like tobacco companies, have a financial incentive in continuing to generate a product that kills millions of people every year.
By Stanford University December 10, 2024
A new U.S. plan to remove lead pipes underscores lead’s persistent risks, with researchers calling for global measures to reduce exposure, especially in vulnerable communities.
The U.S. aims to replace lead pipes to combat ongoing exposure risks. Researchers stress urgent action on policies and alternatives to curb global lead contamination.
The Biden administration’s recently announced plan to replace all lead pipes in the U.S. is a reminder that the toxic metal remains a threat, even in a country that has largely banned its use. The smallest levels of lead exposure can cause a range of health damages over time, especially to children’s brain development.
Stanford researchers Stephen Luby and Jenna Forsyth have spent years examining the widespread presence of lead in low-income countries, including in some commonly consumed products. They led a perspective published Nov. 5 in The Lancet Public Health that tallies lead’s global health and economic costs, and a study in the November issue of Science of the Total Environment that highlights the urgent challenge of lead contamination in South Asian turmeric.
“Lead is a remarkably harmful toxin,” said Luby. “Even within the context of limited resources, we have to find ways to focus on reducing exposure to it.”
Below, Luby, the Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine in the Stanford School of Medicine, and Forsyth, a research scientist with the School of Medicine, discuss the prevalence of lead-tainted products, and share insights on how food safety policies, education, and lead-free alternatives could reduce the risks.
You call for a complete phase-out of lead by 2035. What do you see as the key hurdles to achieving this goal, especially in countries with limited regulatory enforcement?
Luby: The key hurdles include overcoming the pushback from industries that, like tobacco companies, have a financial incentive in continuing to generate a product that kills millions of people every year. This requires a clear-eyed view of the enormous human and environmental health costs of having lead in the economy.
https://scitechdaily.com/stanford-experts-sound-alarm-on-remarkably-harmful-toxin/
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