Public health

1 in 3 children worldwide being poisoned by lead from water, air pollution, UN warns

The file photo shows children play in water pipes at a construction site on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northern Indian city of Allahabad, India.

Up to 800 million children around the world are being poisoned by lead from water and air pollution, the United Nations warned Thursday in a special report on the "massive and previously unknown" health crisis.

One out of every three children is estimated to have levels of lead — a potent neurotoxin — in their blood that requires immediate action to prevent long-lasting damage, the UN’s children’s fund said.

“With few early symptoms, lead silently wreaks havoc on children’s health and development, with possibly fatal consequences,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF executive director.

"Knowing how widespread lead pollution is -– and understanding the destruction it causes to individual lives and communities –- must inspire urgent action to protect children once and for all.”

Childhood lead exposure has been linked to a range of behavioral problems, as well as kidney damage and cardiovascular conditions later in life.

The problem, which occurs overwhelmingly in South Asia, is estimated to cost low- and middle-income countries almost $1 trillion over the children’s lifetimes. Lead pollution comes […]

Summary
Article Name
1 in 3 children worldwide being poisoned by lead from water, air pollution, UN warns
Description
"1 of 3 children estimated to have levels of lead - a neurotoxin - requiring immediate action to prevent long-term damage" -UN children's fund
Publisher Name
Press TV
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

5 days ago

Growing Food Instead of Grass Lawns in California Front Yards

Photo: Morgan Boone, a volunteer with Crop Swap LA, harvested lettuce at the La Salle…

2 weeks ago

LA River restoration connects us back to ‘the life force of our city’

Los Angeles residents at a section of the Los Angeles River cleanup in Los Angeles,…

3 weeks ago

LAist: New study raises questions about heavy metals in fire retardants

Over the past decade, about 67 million gallons of fire retardant have been dropped on…

3 weeks ago

Meadow and watershed restoration in the Golden Trout Wilderness

Photo: Golden Trout Wilderness Seeking blue, seeing gold The Kern Plateau features a chain of…

3 weeks ago

First sighting of salmon in 100 years marks key milestone for California dam removal

For the first time in more than a century, a salmon was observed swimming through Klamath…

4 weeks ago