Lead expert Jack Caravanos conducts a simple blood test for lead

A few days ago, we held our special Earth Day event– “Get the Lead Out”–at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC to raise funds and awareness of lead pollution and poisoning around the world.

Everyone who came was offered a free and simple test to measure their blood lead level.  I was among the first to get tested and this was my reading…3.8 µg/dL. [see how a lead test is done].

At 3.8, I was amongst the highest of those tested at the event (not counting the guest who touched a lead sample before getting tested, resulting in a temporary 9.9  µg/dL reading – which is still below the WHO safety level, I might add.) But our results from the group were fine – The WHO safety level is 10 µg/dL and levels above 70 are considered medical emergencies.

Almost everyone else at the event registered an “undetectable.”  This is the happy result of 40 years of Earth Day’s awareness and action.

Now, to give you some food for thought, here are some specific lead test numbers we found in some of the worst lead-polluted sites around the world.

Haina, in the Dominican Republic:  230 µg/dL

Dakar, Senegal – 158 µg/dL

La Oroya, Peru  – 45 µg/dL

Rudnaya Pristan, Russia – 75 µg/dL

How do you think your lead level will compare to the numbers above?

Finally, a big THANK YOU to everyone who came to the “Get the Lead Out” event and generously pledged their support for our cleanup projects around the world. Photos to come.