The Menace of Lead Poisoning

Half a million American children have “elevated” levels of lead (at least 5µg/dL) in their blood. This cut-off is just a reference, a signal that a child is exposed to a source of lead that health authorities must then identify. Almost any amount is potentially harmful. Children come into contact with the metal in dust, soil and water. But in America and Europe most of the lead found in children comes from old paint.

In poorer parts of the world, the problem is newer. On Ngong Road in Nairobi, Kenya’s bustling capital, the traffic is hemmed in by craftsmen building and selling furniture, plant pots, giant metal animals and children’s climbing frames, in garish greens, reds and yellows. Perhaps a dozen small shopkeepers sell paint, varnish and hardware to the artisans, as well as to passing trade. None has any idea if the paint contains lead. “We don’t know what is in it,” says Lillian Njeri, who runs Kamwaka Hardware. “It is just paint.”

Read the full article in the The Economist.