Lead is toxic with no safe level of exposure, and its widespread use is a preventable tragedy with high health, economic and environmental costs.
Lead poisoning causes more deaths than any other chemical exposure, with an estimated 3.5 million cardiovascular-related deaths annually, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Up to 815 million children—1 in 3 globally—are affected by lead poisoning. In 2025, the World Health Assembly called for strengthened global action to address this major threat to public health.
Co-hosted by the World Health Organization, Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives, this event will set the stage for a new WHO Technical Package for Lead Poisoning Prevention, to be released together with the Global Action Plan on Lead Mitigation in 2027. Drawing from country examples, public health leaders will outline actionable steps to end exposure to this toxic element.
Objectives
- Provide an overview of WHO’s Technical Package for Lead Poisoning Prevention
- Raise awareness of the burden of disease caused by lead exposure and its lasting impact on human and environmental health
- Illustrate country success stories to address lead exposure, including experiences galvanizing government and key stakeholders for action
List of Invited Speakers:
- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO (video message)
- Sir Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care, WHO
- Dr Tom Frieden, President & CEO, Resolve to Save Lives
- Apala Guhathakurta, Public Health, Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Dr Virunya Bhat, Technical Officer, Chemicals, Radiation and Health Unit, WHO
- Dr David Berendes, Senior Technical Advisor for Lead Poisoning Prevention, Resolve to Save Lives
- H.E. Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria (or suitable representative)
- H.E. Ms. Nino Nizharadze, Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia
- H.E. Dr. Agnes Soares, Director of the Department of Environmental Health Surveillance and Workers’ Health, Secretariat of Health and Environmental Surveillance, Ministry of Health, Brazil
- H.E. Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, Ghana
- Abdullah A. Fadil, Director, Partnership for a Lead-Free Future
- Will Fitzgibbon, Senior Reporter for The Examination (Moderator)
We hope you can join us!
Related publications
WHO guideline for clinical management of exposure to lead