IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1350 
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2024 
Mr. CROW (for himself and Mr. JAMES) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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 expo-
sure prevention in global health, education, and environ-
ment 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; 
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•HRES 1350 IH 
Whereas, according to the World Health Organization, people 
can be exposed to lead through the inhalation of lead par-
ticles produced from the burning of leaded materials, in-
cluding 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 ac-
cumulation of lead in the body can result in lead poi-
soning, 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 approxi-
mately 800,000,000 globally, have blood lead levels at or 
above the threshold for intervention in a child’s environ-
ment recommended by the World Health Organization; 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, children from low-income families are par-
ticularly 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 cen-
tral nervous system and the brain; 
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•HRES 1350 IH 
Whereas lead exposure can cause serious and irreversible neu-
rological damage and is linked, among children, to nega-
tive 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 still-
birth, 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 expo-
sure 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, in-
cluding among children, and environmental contamina-
tion; 
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 poi-
son 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 com-
prehensive examination of country-by-country data on 
blood lead levels among children 5 years old and younger 
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•HRES 1350 IH 
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 rel-
atively little global assistance to help those countries pre-
vent lead exposure; 
Whereas the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment 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 House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the dangerous impact of lead ex-
posure on children, domestically and globally; 
(2) acknowledges the broader impact of lead ex-
posure on the global economy; 
(3) asserts that addressing the global lead poi-
soning health crisis is in the security and economic 
interests of the United States; 
(4) recognizes that preventing lead from enter-
ing 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 
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•HRES 1350 IH 
Risks and Safety Risks to Children, as well as other 
relevant agencies that support international develop-
ment programs, to include lead exposure prevention, 
especially for children, in their approaches and pro-
grams as appropriate. 
Æ 
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