Our Impact

How Pure Earth is Making a Difference

Evidence-based solutions to prevent lead exposure, at scale.

For more than 25 years, Pure Earth has worked globally to identify sources of toxic pollution and implement evidence-based solutions that prevent exposure at scale. With 9 offices worldwide and a team of more than 100 professionals, we have completed nearly 340 projects across more than 50 low- and middle-income countries. Our work to prevent lead exposure strengthens health systems, improves educational outcomes, and supports long-term economic development. When children are protected from lead exposure, they can reach their full cognitive and emotional potential, and societies are better equipped to solve the next set of challenges they face.

Independent evaluators consistently recognize the strength and cost-effectiveness of this work. GiveWell states, “We think Pure Earth is the most promising giving opportunity we have found to address lead exposure.” Happier Lives Institute ranked Pure Earth as the most cost-effective charity for improving wellbeing, concluding in its global review that the organization is “hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per dollar than other charities.”

Generating Data that Drives Action

Over the past five years, Pure Earth launched its Global Lead Program, an integrated, nationwide approach supporting governments to make real progress against lead poisoning by uncovering the true scale and sources of exposure, developing national mitigation plans, and eliminating the most critical exposure sources. This comprehensive approach builds on 25 years of experience, implementing 81 successful lead exposure reduction projects across more than 30 countries.

Since 2020, Pure Earth has:

Worked with government health agencies to conducted blood lead surveys in eight countries, including Bangladesh, Georgia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, and the Philippines
Assessed 349 contaminated sites
Analyzed over 6,000 consumer product samples for lead contamination in 25 countries
Assessed lead exposure sources in more than 1,080 homes of lead-poisoned children across seven countries

Stories from the Field: Hear Pure Earth's Impact Directly From Communities

Rina's Story: Cleaning Up Lead Contamination in Bangladesh

The Lead Rush: A Future Free from Lead Poisoning in Senegal

Hope Beyond Lead: Rebecca’s Journey

Our Impact, Backed by Research

Explore the research below to learn about our proven impacts.

2025 World Happiness Report: Giving to others: How to convert your money into greater happiness for others

In a chapter in the 2025 World Happiness Report on effective giving, the Happier Lives Institute (HLI) ranks Pure Earth as the most cost-effective charity for improving the wellbeing of others. In their analysis of Pure Earth’s program to reduce lead exposure from cosmetics in Ghana, HLI projected that this is likely to be the most cost-effective intervention they have evaluated to date.

Reducing Lead Exposure from Adulterated Spices in Georgia

In 2018, a national BLL survey conducted with UNICEF revealed that 41% of children had elevated blood lead levels in Georgia. Our assessments of exposure sources identified contaminated spices as a leading driver of exposure. The government and its partners responded decisively: tightening and enforcing food safety regulations. Follow-up testing in highly impacted areas show that these interventions to reduce the source of exposure were effective: the average BLL decreased by nearly 75% from 7.5 μg/dL (2018) to 2.05 μg/dL (2023).

Soil Lead Mitigation Project in Dong Mai, Vietnam

This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of a Pure Earth soil lead mitigation project in Dong Mai village, Vietnam from 2013-2015. The village’s population had been subject to severe lead poisoning for at least a decade as a result of informal Used Lead Acid Battery (ULAB) recycling. Following the remediation, the average surface soil concentration of home yard and garden areas decreased from 3940 mg/kg to <100 mg/kg. One year after the intervention, blood lead levels in children (<6 years old) were reduced by an average of 67%—from a median of 40.4 μg/dL to 13.3 μg/dL.

2024/25 Annual Report: Scaling Solutions, Increasing Impact

Pure Earth’s annual report provides a closer look at how we are creating a healthier, safer world for children and families. Learn how your support translates into real-world impact—saving lives, informing global policy, and cleaning up toxic pollution.