[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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