Technical package on lead poisoning prevention: overview

Draft for consultation

12 May 2026

| Technical document

Overview

Every year, lead poisoning kills an estimated 3.5 million people, accounts for more than 71 million disability-adjusted life years, and costs the world an estimated $6 trillion—roughly 7% of global GDP—yet it remains vastly underfunded and under-addressed relative to its burden. The costs fall hardest on low- and middle-income countries, where children's blood lead levels are three times higher than in wealthy nations and cognitive losses may reduce lifetime earnings by up to 12%. Interventions to reduce lead poisoning are cost-effective, with benefits outweighing costs for most sources by 10 to more than 2,000-fold.

PREVENT, the WHO Technical Package on Lead Poisoning Prevention, translates existing evidence into a practical, prioritized framework for action. The six key actions of this technical package are structured to guide governmentsʼ efficient and effective implementation of lead poisoning prevention measures:

• Prioritize sources and measure exposures

• Respond to elevated blood lead and address ongoing exposures

• Engage partners, private sector, and the public to increase and sustain momentum

• Verify that regulations align with best practices to protect health

• Enforce regulations to ensure compliance

• Track progress: evaluate implementation and impact on exposure

This technical package gives governments a practical, evidence-based path to reduce and ultimately eliminate lead exposure as a public health threat.

WHO Team

Environment, Climate Change, OneHealth, Migration (ECO)

Editors

World Health Organization

Number of pages

World Health Organization