IPEN’s Work to Eliminate Lead Poisoning Highlighted at G7 Workshop

See the joint statement to the G7 calling for a "Six-point plan for G7 Action on Global Lead Poisoning"

In May 2022, the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers recognized lead pollution as a burden on human health and the environment globally and expressed their strong commitment to reduce lead in the environment and to reduce the disproportionate lead exposure in vulnerable communities. 

Now IPEN experts will present our work to document and eliminate lead threats and vision for solutions to lead poisoning at a G7 workshop in Berlin from 9-10 November 2022. IPEN Science Advisor Dr. Sara Brosché will speak on a plenary session on “Approaches to Address Lead,” and IPEN’s Lead Paint Elimination Campaigner from the Philippines Jeiel Guarino will speak on a breakout panel on lead in paint, to examine the existing challenge of lead paint around the world and discuss how G7 (and G20) can contribute to addressing this situation. 

IPEN has worked for more than a decade on eliminating lead poisoning threats. IPEN is a co-founder and an advisory council member of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, a partnership formed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Since 2009, IPEN member groups have conducted more than 100 studies on more than 4,000 paints from 59 countries, demonstrating that lead paints are still widely sold in low- and middle-income countries. We have also worked to expose health and environmental threats from used lead-acid batteries (ULABs), especially to communities in Africa where ULAB recycling is prevalent (about 86% of all lead produced goes into lead acid batteries). IPEN and our members from around the world have also researched and collected data demonstrating high lead levels in consumer products and toys. 

The G7 workshop this November, co-hosted by the EU and the US under the German Presidency, will include attendees from the G7 and key multi-sectoral stakeholders. See more  background from the May 2022 G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ Communique.