Lead in the blood: The poisoning of a generation

Expand Three girls play the game isolo on the ground in the lead-affected township of Waya in Kabwe. Soil is the main source of lead exposure in Kabwe. © 2018 Zama Neff/Human Rights Watch Years have passed, but Kasuba* still remembers when she was tested for lead as a child of about 8. The World Health Organisation says that there is no safe level of lead exposure. But the amount of the metal in Kasuba’s blood was up to 12 times higher than the levels a WHO 2003 paper argued already result in neurological effects in children, specifically declines in IQ. She says she was given milk and soya…

© Human Rights Watch - jeudi 29 août 2019