[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 654 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 654
Expressing concern about the elevated levels of lead in one-third of
the world's children and the global causes of lead exposure, and
calling for the inclusion of lead exposure prevention in global health,
education, and environment programs abroad.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 18, 2024
Mr. Cardin (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Booker, and
Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing concern about the elevated levels of lead in one-third of
the world's children and the global causes of lead exposure, and
calling for the inclusion of lead exposure prevention in global health,
education, and environment programs abroad.
Whereas the heavy metal lead is a common element found in the Earth's crust and
is a known toxin;
Whereas children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure due to lead's
harmful effects on the brain and nervous system development;
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, people can be exposed to
lead through the inhalation of lead particles produced from the burning
of leaded materials, including during recycling and smelting;
Whereas exposure to lead also occurs through the ingestion of dust, paint
flakes, water, and food contaminated with lead;
Whereas, over time, significant exposure to lead and the accumulation of lead in
the body can result in lead poisoning, a severe, life-threatening
condition that requires medical attention;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), approximately
1 in 3 children, up to approximately 800,000,000 globally, have blood
lead levels at or above the threshold for intervention in a child's
environment recommended by the World Health Organization;
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children
from low-income families are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure;
Whereas the World Health Organization has determined that there is no level of
exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects;
Whereas lead exposure is linked to toxicity in every organ system, with young
children being especially susceptible;
Whereas, compared to adults, children absorb 4 to 5 times more ingested lead;
Whereas high levels of lead among children can cause comas, convulsions, and
even death through attacks on the central nervous system and the brain;
Whereas lead exposure can cause serious and irreversible neurological damage and
is linked, among children, to negative effects on brain development,
lower intelligence quotient (IQ) levels, increased antisocial behavior,
as well as decreased cognitive function and abilities to learn;
Whereas undernourished children, who lack calcium and iron, are more vulnerable
to absorbing lead;
Whereas the World Health Organization links exposure to high amounts of lead
among pregnant women to stillbirth, miscarriage, premature birth, and
low birth weight;
Whereas lead stored in a woman's body is released into her blood during
pregnancy and becomes a source of exposure to the developing fetus;
Whereas poorly regulated or informal recycling of used lead-acid batteries,
particularly in developing countries, heightens the risk of occupational
exposure to lead, including among children, and environmental
contamination;
Whereas that contamination is connected to the food system through the
consumption of shellfish and fish living in contaminated water, animals
foraging in contaminated spaces, and the cultivation of crops in
contaminated fields;
Whereas household and consumer goods in low- and middle-income countries that
are contaminated with lead, such as cookware, spices, toys, paint, and
cosmetics, can poison children in those countries and can enter the
global supply chain and poison children in the United States;
Whereas, in 2023, World Bank researchers conducted a comprehensive examination
of country-by-country data on blood lead levels among children 5 years
old and younger and determined an estimated loss of 765,000,000
intelligence quotient points occurred among the total children captured
by the data;
Whereas, in that same study, World Bank researchers determined that in 2019,
5,500,000 adults died from cardiovascular disease associated with lead
exposure and the global cost of lead exposure was approximately
$6,000,000,000,000;
Whereas lead poisoning may account for up to 20 percent of the learning gap
between children in high-income countries and children in low-income
countries;
Whereas there are cost-effective approaches to prevent lead exposure, with
significant return on investment in the form of improved health,
increased productivity, higher IQs, and higher lifetime earnings;
Whereas, in 2023, the G7 recognized the impact of lead exposure on vulnerable
communities and affirmed its commitment to reducing lead in the
environment and addressing the disproportionate effects of lead exposure
on vulnerable populations;
Whereas, each year, the United States recognizes National Childhood Lead
Poisoning Prevention Week in October to increase lead poisoning
prevention awareness and reduce childhood exposure to lead;
Whereas, each year, the United Nations recognizes International Lead Poisoning
Prevention Week in October to remind governments, civil society
organizations, health partners, industry, and other stakeholders of the
unacceptable risks of lead exposure and the need for action to protect
human health and the environment in support of meeting Sustainable
Development Goal targets;
Whereas, despite the enormous health and economic impacts of lead exposure in
low- and middle-income countries and the potential of cost-effective
interventions, there is relatively little global assistance to help
those countries prevent lead exposure;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development is leading an
initiative calling for increased actions and resources to prevent lead
poisoning and to address the risk of lead exposure, starting with
exposure from consumer goods in low- and middle-income countries; and
Whereas the United States can play a leadership role globally to help prevent
children from the harms of lead exposure: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the dangerous impact of lead exposure on
children, domestically and globally;
(2) acknowledges the broader impact of lead exposure on the
global economy;
(3) asserts that addressing the global lead poisoning
health crisis is in the security and economic interests of the
United States;
(4) recognizes that preventing lead from entering the
environment is the most effective strategy for combating lead
exposure in children; and
(5) calls upon the United States Agency for International
Development, in consultation with the International Lead
Exposure Working Group of the President's Task Force on
Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children, as
well as other relevant agencies that support international
development programs, to include lead exposure prevention,
especially for children, in their approaches and programs as
appropriate.
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