About the Innovation Lab
Launched in 2025, Pure Earth’s Innovation Lab is our research hub. The Lab works on exposure, impact and mitigation solutions for toxins. We identify key knowledge gaps and design and implement research projects to increase our understanding of lead and other toxins, working to unlock cost-effective, scalable solutions.
Broad questions need answering regarding lead exposures in low- and middle-income countries. The sources of lead that have been identified so far do not adequately explain the high levels of poisoning measured. The research agenda of the Innovation Lab is working to untangle this problem. Our current research projects are focused on determining the extent to which different exposures contribute to lead’s impact, which will assist countries in designing policy interventions. Looking forward, our agenda is turning to projects related to mitigation effectiveness, and will explore other toxins.
Innovation Lab Projects
In conjunction with researching differing sources of lead and their proportional impact, the Innovation Lab focuses on determining cost-effective solutions to reduce lead’s impact. Projects are designed at a concept level in-house, then usually designed in detail and implemented by outside agencies, often in-country academic or NGO staff. Specific projects are designed by internal evaluation with support from Pure Earth field operations. The goal of the collaborative design is to answer specific questions that will support the implementation of projects to reduce country and global cumulative blood lead levels.
Current active projects are defining the levels of lead that come from aluminum cookware and lead-glazed ceramics. Other projects are exploring supply chains for cookware. This work should give a strong picture of the importance of aluminum and ceramic cookware in many countries.
