Lead Poisoning

This comprehensive review traces the global impact of lead poisoning, detailing its historical origins, modern sources, biological mechanisms, and population-level health effects. Despite a >95% reduction in exposure since the 1970s, blood lead levels in humans remain 10–100 times higher than in preindustrial populations. Chronic low level exposure is now known to cause cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, cognitive impairment, ADHD, preterm births, and reduced IQ. In 2019, lead exposure was responsible for 5.5 million deaths and a loss of 765 million IQ points globally. The article calls for aggressive public health action and regulatory reform to eliminate remaining lead sources, characterizing the situation as the largest mass poisoning in history.

This comprehensive review traces the global impact of lead poisoning, detailing its historical origins, modern sources, biological mechanisms, and population-level health effects. Despite a >95% reduction in exposure since the 1970s, blood lead levels in humans remain 10–100 times higher than in preindustrial populations. Chronic low level exposure is now known to cause cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, cognitive impairment, ADHD, preterm births, and reduced IQ. In 2019, lead exposure was responsible for 5.5 million deaths and a loss of 765 million IQ points globally. The article calls for aggressive public health action and regulatory reform to eliminate remaining lead sources, characterizing the situation as the largest mass poisoning in history.