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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 13 October, 2022

  • 5 Min Read

 Lead Poisoning in India

Lead Poisoning in India

Principal Points of the Report

Global Results:

  • Blood lead levels (BLL) in children of up to 800 million worldwide are at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (g/dL).
  • Lead poisoning of children is an enormous and previously ignored global problem.
  • Over 900,000 premature deaths per year are related to lead exposure since lead has such a significant negative effect on individuals.
  • Many nations don't have enough official recycling infrastructure or capacity to deal with the volume of spent lead-acid batteries that are saturating their marketplaces.

India-related findings

  • It had discovered that a significant portion of the 800 million children poisoned by lead worldwide (275,561,163) were living in India.
  • Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh are the states most severely impacted.
  • Even though lead use in gasoline, a major source, was phased out by 2000 in India, lead poisoning deaths have persisted there.

About poisoning by lead

  • Lead is a very poisonous metal that is exceedingly deadly.
  • A dangerous and occasionally fatal ailment, lead poisoning. Lead accumulation in the body causes it to happen.

Properties of Lead

  • Lead (Pb) is a white lustrous metal with a soft texture and is highly malleable.
  • The metal is highly corrosion-resistant, in addition to not being a poor conductor of electricity.
  • The metal in its powdered form produces a bluish-white flame when burnt in the air.

Common sources of Lead exposure include:

  • Water containing lead due to the usage of lead pipes
  • Lead batteries’ improper disposal
  • Lead paints
  • Lead oxides in glass and ceramics
  • Ammunitions
  • Lead-based paints
  • In fuels like petrol , diesel

Way Forward

  • Given the grave implications for health, national and state policy changes are urgently needed.
  • These include identifying at-risk groups through BLL monitoring, looking into the causes of elevated BLLs, and sensitising the healthcare workforce to track down, identify, and treat lead poisoning.
  • In order to make a real difference, India must develop tactics that may be implemented at the state level through local press, regional bureaucracy, and vernacular language.
  • To find potential newer sources that policymakers and the scientific community can directly address, targeted research and intervention studies are required.
  • The poisoning of children with lead should prompt an immediate worldwide response.

Read Also: Multi-State Cooperatives Societies

Source: Down To Earth


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