Chijioke Iremeka As Nigeria joins the global community to commemorate the 2024 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, public health experts have highlighted the danger of drinking water delivered through lead pipes. The physicians warned that drinking lead-contaminated water could lead to major organ damage, including kidney failure. They also disclosed that lead pipes could leak toxic substances into the water supply, lamenting this poses significant health risks and even death.
Marked from 20 – 26 October, the aim of the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is to draw attention to the health impacts of lead exposure, highlight efforts by countries and partners to prevent childhood lead exposure and accelerate efforts to phase out the use of lead in paint. The experts noted that lead exposure, particularly through contaminated drinking water, could lead to a range of serious health issues in vulnerable populations, such as children and pregnant women. The accumulation of lead in the body, the experts said, could result in neurological damage, developmental delays, and various other long-term health problems.
The focus of this year’s campaign, “Bright futures begin lead Free,” reminds governments, civil society organisations, health partners, industry, and others of the unacceptable risks of lead exposure and the need for action to protect children’s health. The campaign builds on the success of outlawing the use of lead in petrol and the progress ach.