[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 68 (Thursday, April 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2890-S2891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  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:

                              S. Res. 654

       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;

[[Page S2891]]

       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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