TEHRAN - In a concerted effort to combat childhood lead poisoning, the WHO country office in the Islamic Republic of Iran has teamed up with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS) to organize the eleventh International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) from October 22 to 28. The focus of this year's campaign is "End Childhood Lead Poisoning" in Iran.

The collaborative initiative kicked off with a one-day symposium attended by healthcare workers, policymakers, and academic communities.

A total of 18 experts, including academics and practitioners in the field, shed light on the various health impacts of lead exposure, emphasizing the critical need for action to safeguard public health, especially among children.

Lead, a well-recognized toxicant, poses a significant threat to human health, affecting the neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and hematological systems. Children are particularly vulnerable, absorbing four to five times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source.

Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, WHO Representative and Head of Mission to the Islamic Republic of Iran, during the symposium, underscored the harmful effects of lead on young children and women of childbearing age, emphasizing that there is no known safe level of lead exposure. Fortunately, lead exposure is preventable.

WHO data reveals a sobering statistic: more than 2 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were attributed to chemical exposures, with lead exposure accounting for nearly half of these fatalities. 

Furthermore, lead exposure resulted in 21.7 million years lost to disability (disability-adjusted life years, or DALYs) globally in 2019. This included 30% of the global burden of idiopathic intellectual disability, 4.6% of the global burden of cardiovascular disease, and 3.0% of the global burden of chronic kidney diseases.

The International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week aims to raise awareness about the health effects of lead exposure, showcase the efforts of nations and partners in preventing lead exposure, particularly in children, and advocate for further action to eliminate lead paint through regulatory measures at the national level.

This campaign builds upon the successful ban on the use of lead in petrol and the progress made by many countries in enacting laws to limit lead use in paint, especially in places where children are exposed, such as homes, schools, and playgrounds.

To extend the reach of awareness and target the key beneficiaries of this campaign, height stickers featuring informative messages about the impact of lead exposure on children's health were developed and distributed to pediatricians attending the symposium.

These stickers, bearing the message "Lead-Free Kids: Tall, Smart, and Healthier - Think of Lead Exposure," depict animations of fruits and vegetables that aid in reducing lead absorption in the blood.