Automobile batteries being recycled at the Thiaroye-sur-Mer site where 18 children died of lead poisoning in 2008
Lead poisoning epidemics refer to specific instances of mass lead poisoning. These events often occur without the knowledge of the communities they affect. Common causes of lead poisoning epidemics include mining, lead recycling, and food/water contamination.[1] These events also cause disproportionate childhood fatalities as children are more susceptible to lead poisoning than adults.[1][2]
This list does not include events wherein fewer than 100 people were affected, individual lead paint poisoning cases, or lead poisoning resulting from the consumption of contaminated food or water, such as the Flint water crisis. The cases below are discrete events of mass lead poisonings.
^Fernandez, G. O.; Martinez, R. R.; Fortoul, T. I.; Palazuelos, E. (1997-02-01). "High blood lead levels in ceramic folk art workers in Michoacan, Mexico". Archives of Environmental Health. 52 (1): 51–55. doi:10.1080/00039899709603800. ISSN0003-9896. PMID9039858.
^Lalor, G. C.; Vutchkov, M. K.; Bryan, S. T.; Christie, C. D. C.; Donaldson, D.; Young, J.; Chambers, S. (2006-12-01). "Acute lead poisoning associated with backyard lead smelting in Jamaica". The West Indian Medical Journal. 55 (6): 394–398. doi:10.1590/s0043-31442006000600005 (inactive 12 July 2025). ISSN0043-3144. PMID17691233.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
^Yabe, John; Nakayama, Shouta M. M.; Ikenaka, Yoshinori; Yohannes, Yared B.; Bortey-Sam, Nesta; Oroszlany, Balazs; Muzandu, Kaampwe; Choongo, Kennedy; Kabalo, Abel Nketani (2015-01-01). "Lead poisoning in children from townships in the vicinity of a lead–zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia". Chemosphere. 119: 941–947. Bibcode:2015Chmsp.119..941Y. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.09.028. hdl:2115/58817. PMID25303652. S2CID267070208.