The Biden administration's recently announced plan to replace all lead pipes in the U.S. is a reminder that the toxic metal remains a threat, even in a country that has largely banned its use.
The smallest levels of lead exposure can cause a range of health damages over time, especially to children's brain development. Stanford researchers Stephen Luby and Jenna Forsyth have spent years examining the widespread presence of lead in low-income countries, including in some commonly consumed products. They led a perspective published Nov.
5 in The Lancet Public Health that tallies lead's global health and economic costs, and a study in the November issue of Science of the Total Environment that highlights the urgent challenge of lead contamination in South Asian turmeric. Lead is a remarkably harmful toxin. Even within the context of limited resources, we have to find ways to focus on reducing exposure to it.
" Stephen Luby, researcher, Stanford University Below, Luby, the Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine in the Stanford School of Medicine, and Forsyth, a research scientist with the School of Medicine, discuss the prevalence of lead-tainted products, and share insights on how food safety policies, education, and lead-free alternatives could reduce the risks. You call for a complete phase-out of lead by 2035. What do you see as the key hurdles to achieving this goal, especially in countries with limited regulatory enforcement? Luby: The key hurdles include overcoming the pushback .
