New Delhi [India], April 25 : With one in two children in India experiencing alarming levels of lead poisoning, the government and civil society representatives held consultations with international experts to consider a comprehensive national response to the issue.
A high-level roundtable convened on Tuesday in New Delhi by the Center for Global Development, in partnership with Pahle India Foundation, Pure Earth, the Asian Development Bank and UNICEF, highlighted opportunities for the government of India to take a leadership role in the national and global fight against lead poisoning via its G20 Presidency.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the government wanted to build awareness of lead poisoning in the network of 160,000 Ayushman Bharat health and wellness clinics operating.
Lead is a pernicious poison that causes extensive harm, even at low levels. Lead exposure in early childhood interferes with normal cognitive development, causing lifelong learning deficits and behavioural problems. In adults, lead exposure causes hypertension and steeply increases the risk of heart attacks.
Yet despite the historic global phase-out of leaded petrol, an estimated one in three children worldwide are still affected by lead poisoning, including about half of Indian children. In India, the sources of current lead exposure are mfold and include deliberate adulteration of spices, emissions from lead-acid battery recycling, often done in the informal sector, leaded paints, contaminated toys, cosmetics, jewellery and ayurvedic medicines, said the statement.
Rajiv Kumar, Chair of the Pahle India Foundation and former Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, said, "Lead poisoning is a serious threat to India's health, education, environment and economic growth. We urge continued investments commensurate with its importance."
Rachel Silverman Bonnifield, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, added:
"Around the world, the silent scourge of lead poisoning is stealing children's potential while driving the growing burden of cardiovascular disease. It is heartening to see that Indian leaders from government and civil society recognize the gravity of ongoing lead poisoning and are committed to addressing it, a critical step toward securing thriving childhoods and lifelong health for all Indian citizens."
The continued burden of lead poisoning, in India and around the world, is a slow-moving crisis that demands increased attention.
Participants highlighted the importance of increased awareness of the problem, support to individuals and families to avoid lead hazards; and support to paediatricians and other physicians to identify, prevent, and treat lead poisoning. They emphasized the need for a more effective circular economy for lead acid batteries, as well as additional research into the impact of lead poisoning and strategies to reduce lead exposure.
A whole-of-government approach, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is needed to sustainably reduce the burden of lead poisoning in India. Building on important recent steps, the leaders highlighted the urgent need to launch a national campaign to eliminate lead contamination in spices. The round table also suggested the government to convene a cross-Ministerial governmental committee led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to comprehensively investigate and address the diverse sources of lead poisoning in India.
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