M9.4 Blog: Heavy Metals

Heavy Metals

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An Environmental Health Response to a Severe Outbreak of Childhood Lead Poisoning in Nigeria

It is distressing that children located in the remote villages of Nigeria were exposed to lead due to unsafe mining practices. Perhaps, the individuals performing the artisanal gold ore processing were not aware of the potential hazards that they were inflicting on this population. Or, perhaps they did know but only cared about making money. Either way, from a public health standpoint, there should have been safety precautions put in place to prevent unsafe ore processing practices from taking place. This reminds me of the video that we watched in Module 8 called “The Pesticide Trap.” This video focused on farmers located in India who were growing cotton because it was a “cash crop.” Although the farmers and farm workers were exposed to harmful toxic pesticides, they were more focused on earning money rather than protecting their health. Similarly, those performing the artisanal gold ore processing chose to make money over protecting the health of innocent children. 

Lead Poisoning

I found it distressing that childhood lead poising was recognized over a century ago, but the United States (U.S.) did not ban the use of lead-based paint until 1971. This length of time is far too long to have exposed our most vulnerable population (children) to this harmful chemical. Especially, since children are more sensitive to lead than adults due to the following reasons:

·     Their exposure is increased by their universal hand-to-mouth activity;

·     Their gut absorbs lead more readily than adults; and

·     The developing central nervous system is more vulnerable to toxicants than mature central nervous systems.

Additionally, lead is known to negatively affect social behavior in children and reduce IQs. Therefore, it is imperative that primary prevention take place, and all sources to lead exposure be terminated. This includes lead paint that is still located in older homes. Removing this remaining source of lead exposure will provide continuous health benefits for generations to come.