III 

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 onethird 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 parVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Apr 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR654.IS SR654

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ticles 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 


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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 leadacid 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 middleincome 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; 


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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 relVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Apr 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR654.IS SR654

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atively 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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the dangerous impact of lead ex3 posure on children, domestically and globally; 

4 (2) acknowledges the broader impact of lead ex5 posure on the global economy; 

6 (3) asserts that addressing the global lead poi7 soning health crisis is in the security and economic 

8 interests of the United States; 

9 (4) recognizes that preventing lead from enter10 ing the environment is the most effective strategy 

11 for combating lead exposure in children; and 

12 (5) calls upon the United States Agency for 

13 International Development, in consultation with the 

14 International Lead Exposure Working Group of the 

15 President’s Task Force on Environmental Health 

16 Risks and Safety Risks to Children, as well as other 

17 relevant agencies that support international developVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:16 Apr 19, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR654.IS SR654

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1 ment programs, to include lead exposure prevention, 

2 especially for children, in their approaches and pro3 grams as appropriate. 

Æ 


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