Blood lead level testing and analysis is crucial to understanding the prevalence, severity and location of exposure. Pure Earth has developed a model to launch national childhood lead monitoring programs using a country’s existing health survey infrastructure to collect lead exposure data.  To date this model has been used in the Philippines, Mexico and the Republic of Georgia.

In addition,  Pure Earth launched Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure in 2023 with support from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. The project is partnership between Pure Earth and the Ministries of Health in Colombia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Maharashtra, India, and Peru to strengthen each country’s national healthcare system to better prevent, identify, and treat lead poisoning.

Pure Earth assesses consumer products, environmental media, and homes to identify the primary sources and exposure pathways that likely contribute most significantly to lead poisoning.

In 2021, Pure Earth launched the Rapid Market Screening project in 25 countries. Supported by a grant from GiveWell, the Rapid Market Screening (RMS) program is a novel, wide-reaching assessment of lead (Pb) contamination in more than 5,000 samples of consumer goods and foods from markets across 25 low- and middle-income countries.

Pure Earth designs and implements interventions to reduce the use and/or release of lead in products and industrial processes.

In addition, Pure Earth remediates polluted communities, supports countries in developing and implementing strategies and programmatic approaches, and integrates communications such as education and awareness-raising training to inform stakeholders.

A leading source of lead poisoning of children in low- and middle-income countries is the informal and substandard recycling of lead-acid batteries. In these countries, up to 50% of lead-acid batteries are processed informally.  This process, conducted with little to no environmental controls, often in residential areas, results in severe pollution and lead poisoning of local children.

Lead-glazed pottery crafted by traditional artisans is commonly used to cook and serve food in  homes across Mexico, causing lead to leach into the food.

Our researchers have recently uncovered that lead is being added to low-cost, locally made aluminum cooking pots in over a dozen low and middle-income countries, resulting in another source of lead exposure.

The practice of adding lead-based pigments to enhance the color and weight of spices is occurring in several countries.

Some of these contaminated spices find their way into kitchens worldwide through the global food supply chain.

Consumer Reports released an alarming study that found high levels of toxic heavy metals in 126 brands of spices sold in U.S. supermarkets. 

Lead-based paints remains unregulated in about half the world. Young children are exposed to lead from peeling paint chips and from lead dust.

Other consumer items such as toys, traditional medicines, pipes and cosmetics such as eyeliners (kohl, kajal, and surma) have been found contaminated with lead.