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Review
. 2024 Nov;8(11):e966-e972.
doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00244-4.

Removing lead from the global economy

Affiliations
Free article
Review

Removing lead from the global economy

Stephen P Luby et al. Lancet Planet Health. 2024 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

Lead, an element toxic to countless biological processes, occurs naturally in the earth's lithosphere and is geologically sequestered from the biosphere at the earth's surface. When humans remove lead from the lithosphere and distribute it throughout the economy, its toxic effects impact throughout the web of life. Lead mining and manufacturing is a small industry that generates enormous harms. Lead impairs the growth, development, and reproduction of microbes, insects, plants, and animals. The annual human costs of lead exposure include 5·5 million premature adult deaths from cardiovascular disease and US$1·4 trillion in losses to the global economy from lead impairing children's cognitive development. Although the lead industry touts lead as the most recycled metal, most recycling occurs within countries that are incapable of enforcing environmental regulations. Millions of metric tonnes of lead are dispersed into the environment each year, disproportionately in low-income and middle-income countries. Substitutes for lead in the economy are available and we should act in the best interests of the planet and human health by eliminating lead from the global economy by 2035.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests SPL and JEF received funding from Stanford's King Center for International Development, the Thrasher Research Fund, and Open Philanthropy via PureEarth to support research efforts. ELP received funding from the UN Sustainable Manufacturing & Environmental Program, the International Growth Center, and Stanford's King Center for International Development and Woods Institute for the Environment in Bangladesh. HH conducted research on lead exposure and toxicity supported by the US National Institutes of Health, the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the US Environmental Protection Agency since 1991; served as an expert witness in litigation involving lead exposure and health impacts on communities; and is a member of the Board of Directors for Pure Earth, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the clean-up of toxic waste, including lead. All other authors declare no competing interests.

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