The Challenges of Translating Research into Action for Lead and Other Environmental Contaminants in Low and Middle-Income Countries

摘要

The toxic effects of lead were first described many centuries ago, yet to this day, lead continues to be a public health problem and appears as subject of scientific papers. The renewed notoriety of lead follows important recent cases of environmental injustice in the U.S., and increasingly common reporting on lead exposure and poisoning in low and middle-income countries. Arguably, few researchers, communities, or public health officials need additional convincing that lead exposure among pregnant women and young children is a public health problem. Estimates of health and economic impact of environmental or toxic-site exposure to lead for LMIC populations, particularly children, suggest substantial economic and disease burden. Some believe that more epidemiological research on the associations between lead exposure and adverse health outcomes is not only unnecessary but counter-productive because it delays action. The well-known health impacts, and the estimates of economic impacts place greater urgency on incorporating the environment more squarely into prevention efforts for a number of noncommunicable diseases. Despite an enormous amount of research produced globally, and despite clear economic impacts, many LMICs lag in terms of effective or sustained programs or policies exist to address the continuing problem of lead exposure. By 2020, LMICs will account for 33% of global chemical demand and 31% of production, a 10 percentage point increase from mid-1990s. Given the growing list of environmental contaminants of concern for child health and development, and of their increasingly documented mixture effects, the research and policy communities need to engage in conversations that will facilitate the translation of research into action. This brief presentation will lay the groundwork for the symposium by summarizing the patterns and consequences of lead exposure globally, thus underscoring the continued importance of the issue.