Lead Poisoning in India

According to a report by Niti Aayog and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), lead poisoning causes the greatest health and financial burden 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.

Source: Down To Earth

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