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M9.4 Blog: Heavy Metals

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I think lead poisoning is so frightening and I have become increasingly aware and worried about this issue since I began this class. I am shocked to learn about the history of lead poisoning and the ways in which we have still been unable to ban lead exposure completely, despite mountains of incriminating evidence clearly proving how harmful it is to human health at any level. The collaborative project in Nigeria that effectively reduced blood levels from >170ug/dL to <20ug/dL in just four years is a remarkable and important example of how we can work together to protect communities from lead poisoning. It is horrible that it took losing over 400 children under the age of 5 years old to lead poisoning for this effective response to be developed, but it is a great example of how nonprofits, governmental organizations, and local communities can come together to effect real change in a short period of time. It gives me hope that we can develop more programs such as the one in Nigeria that are locally-led, to reduce lead poisoning as well as other environmental hazards to human health that are caused by preventable human choices. 

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