I did my lit review on lead, so this week's material just reinforced what I have learned during my research on the topic and made me feel even more grateful that I or anyone I know grew up exposed to this awful chemical. In 2018, lead still remains one of the leading causes of workplace illnesses. I'm shocked that lead is still in any materials, whether it be pipes or plumbing or ceramics, because after lead was removed from gasoline and paint, BLL dropped dramatically. We know lead has adverse impacts on the CNS, primarily in children. But the PNS in adults suffers dramatically when exposed, including problems with "wrist drop." I don't think anyone should be able to work around lead, but that means serious policy reform needs to happen with sweeping change, and it means a $33.7 billion dollar savings in treating health issues related to lead.
The lead poisoning in Nigeria story broke my heart. Africa can't catch a break with these types of epidemics involving children, and I know they get the majority of their life sources from the soil, which produced all the lead. I'm so glad the safe mining campaign was able to reduce BLL from <170 ug/dL to <20 ug/dL (a more than 80% reduction!). It just goes to show that campaigns really do work, and we need to take notes, and vulnerable populations like kids capture worldwide attention.
The lead poisoning in Nigeria story broke my heart. Africa can't catch a break with these types of epidemics involving children, and I know they get the majority of their life sources from the soil, which produced all the lead. I'm so glad the safe mining campaign was able to reduce BLL from <170 ug/dL to <20 ug/dL (a more than 80% reduction!). It just goes to show that campaigns really do work, and we need to take notes, and vulnerable populations like kids capture worldwide attention.
I have the same sentiment on the lead poisoning in Nigeria. It's definitely good news that the government and public health officials stepped in and created an effective intervention program for the community. Although this should have been in place before the large case of lead poisoning took place, it's crucial that timely intervention was set in place to prevent increased mortality in this population.
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