Lead poisoning epidemics

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]

## Notable poisoning events

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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.

Large-scale lead poisoning events  Name of event  | Year  | Country  | City  | # Tested high*  | # deaths  | Source of lead exposure  | References  | Comments

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Đông Mai | 2015 | Vietnam | Đông Mai | 102 | 0 | Auto-battery recycling | ref[3] | Ongoing[as of?]
El Paso/Juarez | 1974 | USA/Mexico | El Paso, Texas | 391 | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[4] | Plant closed
Fiengxiang | 2009 | China | Shaanxi | 615 | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[5] |
Hunan | 2008 | China | Hunan | 1354 | 0 | Manganese factory | ref[6] |
Jiyuan | 2009 | China | Jiyuan | 1000 | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[7] | 99.7% of children poisoned
Doe Run | 2004 | Peru | La Oroya | 100's | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[8] | Plant closed
Michoacán | 2009? | Mexico | Michoacán | 311 | 0 | Lead-glazed pottery | ref[9] | Ongoing[as of?]
Santo Amaro | 1985 | Brazil | Bahia | 555 | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[10] |
Thiaroye-sur-Mer | 2008 | Senegal | Thiaroye, Dakar | 150+ | 18 | Auto-battery recycling | ref[11] | Closed
Torreón | 2000 | Mexico | Torreón | 11181 | 0 | Lead smelter | ref[12] |
Zamfara | 2010 | Nigeria | Zamfara | 1000+ | 163–400 | Artisanal mining | ref[13] | Ongoing[as of?]
Kabwe | 2013 | Zambia | Kabwe | 1000+ | 0 | Lead mining and smelter | ref[14][15] |

* Number tested high is defined as a blood lead level greater than or equal to 10 micrograms per deciliter whole blood (μg/dl)

## See also

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* List of human-made mass poisoning incidents
* Lead contamination in Washington, D.C., drinking water
* Flint water crisis
* 2009 Chinese lead poisoning scandal
* Exide lead contamination from battery recycling in the U.S.
* Lead contamination in Oakland

## References

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1. ^ a b "Lead poisoning". World Health Organization. 11 August 2023.
2. ^ Abelsohn, Alan; Sanborn, Margaret (June 2010). "Lead and children: Clinical management for family physicians". Canadian Family Physician. 56 (6): 531–535\. PMC 2902938. PMID 20547517.
3. ^ Daniell, William E.; Tung, Lo Van; Wallace, Ryan M.; Havens, Deborah J.; Karr, Catherine J.; Diep, Nguyen Bich; Croteau, Gerry A.; Beaudet, Nancy J.; Bao, Nguyen Duy (2015-10-26). "Childhood Lead Exposure from Battery Recycling in Vietnam". BioMed Research International. 2015: 193715. doi:10.1155/2015/193715. PMC 4637436. PMID 26587532.
4. ^ Ordóñez, Blanca Raquel; Romero, Lidia Ruiz; Mora, Refugio (2003). "Investigación epidemiológica sobre niveles de plomo en la población infantil y en el medio ambiente domiciliario de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, en relación con una fundición de El Paso, Texas". Salud Pública de México. 45: 281–295\. doi:10.1590/S0036-36342003000800015. ISSN 0036-3634.
5. ^ Watts, Jonathan; Cui, Zheng (2009-08-17). "Chinese villagers storm factory blamed for lead poisoning of 600 children". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
6. ^ Watts, Jonathan; correspondent, Asia environment (2009-08-20). "1,300 Chinese children near smelter suffer lead poisoning". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-02-19. `{{cite news}}`: `|last2=` has generic name (help)
7. ^ "China to move residents from lead smelter base-report". Reuters. 2009-10-19. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
8. ^ Fraser, Barbara (2009-07-01). "La Oroya's Legacy of Lead". Environmental Science & Technology. 43 (15): 5555–5557\. Bibcode:2009EnST...43.5555F. doi:10.1021/es901734g. PMID 19731644.
9. ^ 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. ISSN 0003-9896. PMID 9039858.
10. ^ 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). ISSN 0043-3144. PMID 17691233.`{{cite journal}}`: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
11. ^ Jones, Donald E.; Diop, Assane; Block, Meredith; Smith-Jones, Alexander; Smith-Jones, Andrea (2011). "Assessment and Remediation of Lead Contamination in Senegal". Journal of Health and Pollution. 1 (2): 37–47\. doi:10.5696/2156-9614.1.2.37.
12. ^ US Centers for Disease Control (203). "Blood Lead Levels and Risk Factors for Lead Poisoning Among Children in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico" (PDF). United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health, Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch/Health Studies Branch.[permanent dead link]
13. ^ "WHO | Nigeria: mass lead poisoning from mining activities, Zamfara State". www.who.int. Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
14. ^ 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. PMID 25303652. S2CID 267070208.
15. ^ "Notes from the Field: Severe Environmental Contamination and Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Children — Zambia, 2014". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2016-02-19.