A Lead-Free Future: Finally On Its Way?

For many Americans, the issue conjures memories of the disaster that occurred in
Flint, Michigan, a decade ago, when the city’s water supply was found to be badly
contaminated with lead. At the peak of the crisis, about 5% of Flint’s kids were
suffering from lead poisoning — defined as more than five micrograms of lead per
deciliter of blood. And even this is a somewhat arbitrary threshold, since as far as scientists can ascertain, there is no truly safe level of lead.

According to UNICEF and the advocacy organization Pure Earth, one-third of all
children in the world have blood lead levels over that threshold. In other words, lead poisoning worldwide is almost seven times more prevalent than it was in Flint.

What’s striking about these examples is not only that they are health hazards, but
they are trivial economically. Nobody needs unusually bright turmeric, and lead-free versions of cookware and cosmetics are completely feasible. A tougher problem is lead poisoning associated with unsafe methods of battery recycling, which is integral to many people’s livelihoods.

The point is, there is an astounding amount of lead being used for essentially no good reason — and at enormous cost to the world’s children.