This page contains a selection of UK and Ireland news items about lead exposure, hazards or toxicity. The most recent at the top.
Testing children for lead poisoning would be ‘game-changer’, says ex-US diplomat
Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the UN also head of the US Agency for International Development, said the problem was going “unrecognised” in countries where children were not being routinely tested. “There is also limited awareness of how relatively simple it can be to reduce exposure by addressing common sources such as paint.”
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 4th May 2026
Cheap Toys, Toxic Consequences
Interesting article from the Center for Global Development. Some facts from the report: 70% of toys in the world are imported from China. 1 in 10 toys from China have high levels of lead.
Caroline Mallory and Maria Jose Talayero Schettino, Cetre for Global Development, 30th April 2026
Unsafe levels of cancer and autism-linked toxin discovered in popular ‘fast fashion’ clothing brands
“Fast fashion, churned out quickly using synthetic materials, is sold by global giants such as H&M, Shein and Zara”
“the team 11 fast fashion children’s shirts and found all of them contained lead levels above the recommended safe limit.” 100 ppm.
Luke Andrews, Daily Mail, 23rd March 2026
Lead Children: new Netflix series reminds us that lead poisoning is still a global health problem
While the global elimination of lead from gasoline has been hugely successful in reducing lead in air, leading to a fall in population-wide blood lead concentrations in many countries, decline is not eradication.
Jane Entwistle, Professor of Environmental Geochemistry, Northumbria University, The Conversation, 23rd March 2026
Toddler poisoned by lead paint, mum warns
Myah was eventually diagnosed with lead poisoning, believed to have come from a painted windowsill in the family’s flat. “I didn’t know anything about lead paint, I’ll be honest with you,” Hoodlass said.
Stuart Harratt, BBC, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, 18th March 2026
Letter: Why ending lead pollution is no longer a pipe dream
A number of studies (including the one in Minnesota) have shown that the benefits of avoiding IQ impairment and the knock-on effects related to employability and crime can be many times greater than the remedial costs.
Peter Calow, Professor, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Financial Times,10th March 2026
On lead, Britain is the laggard of the developed world
The British authorities are dangerously complacent when it comes to lead. With its historic lead mines and old building stock, there is every reason to think the problem is worse in Britain than in other countries. Yet while the Biden administration boasted of taking 100 actions to address the issue, the British approach has been to turn a blind eye.
Aveek Bhattacharya, Financial Times, 2nd March 2026
MPs and peers call for all UK children to be screened for lead
In a letter seen by the FT, 50 signatories including researchers and lawmakers told health secretary Wes Streeting to end the “dangerous complacency” around the risks of lead and integrate screening with NHS health checks and immunisation visits.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 23rd February 2026
Failure to lead: The case for a UK lead screening programme
- The UK government should implement a national screening programme for lead, covering every child in the UK, as soon as possible.
- Where exposure is found, appropriate action should be taken to reduce it. Many interventions – such as removing contaminated spices or household items – are simple and inexpensive.
Aveek Bhattacharya, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Crawfurd, The Social Market Foundation, 19 February 2026
My son suffered lead poisoning from paint in our house – it left us so frightened
A busy mother of three, Xena Buckle first realised there was something amiss with her six-year-old autistic son when he started complaining of a lot of tummy aches. “I noticed that he’d been picking at the woodwork in our house – the window frames, the door frames, the skirting boards – and eating it,” she says.
David Cox, The I, 11th February 2026
Lead Poisoning Isn’t a Mystery. It’s a Policy Failure
This article is not in the UK edition of The Observer, but the points it make also apply here.
Lead exposure remains a preventable public health crisis driven less by mystery than by regulatory neglect and uneven enforcement.There are few public health issues in the United States where the science is so settled, the solutions so clear and the stakes so high, yet the outcome remains so unresolved. Childhood lead poisoning is one of them. Often described as a “solved problem,” lead exposure has, in reality, never been fully resolved. It has rather been pushed out of sight, relegated to communities with the least political power and treated as an acceptable background risk of aging infrastructure.
According to the CDC’s Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance system, which processes roughly three million blood lead tests annually, about 2.5 percent of U.S. children ages one to five still have blood lead levels at or above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter
Olga González, The Observer, 9th January 2026
Homes on sale in England should be tested for lead, says water watchdog
Marcus Rink, chief inspector at the Drinking Water Inspectorate, said he was “increasingly concerned” by the illegal use of lead solder in new-build homes, which he described as “unacceptable and entirely preventable”.“Water supply elements should also be included in homebuyers’ reports as standard,” Rink said in an interview. DEFRA said “As lead is generally found in pipes and fittings in private properties, homeowners can also help by removing lead pipes in older properties and ensuring they only use accredited plumbers.” One water company in England said it had recently rolled out a programme to identify and remove lead from drinking water in schools. A total of 817 schools were checked for lead and the company discovered that lead was present in 794 of them.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 9th January 2026
Lead is all around us. It could be poisoning our children.
From the pipes in our plumbing to the paint on our walls, Britain’s ageing homes are hiding a major health risk.
When a homebuyer has a survey carried out on a property, this should include an assessment of lead risk, says Pye. He also wants to see better information provided in DIY and trade shops, advising of the risks of stripping lead paint, and GPs better informed of the risk of lead poisoning.
Rosa Silverman, The Telegraph, 4th January 2026
Is the lead paint hidden in our homes poisoning our children?
UK to launch first lead poisoning screening study of children after FT investigation
Leeds examination to target hidden exposure in the young and lay groundwork for national testing.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 17th November 2025
UK’s first citizen-led study on childhood lead exposure begins
Pioneering research launches in Leeds to test new approach to assessing the risk to children from hidden lead exposure.
UK Health Security Agency, 17th November 2025
Northumbria University leads pioneering research to tackle hidden lead exposure in children
A pioneering new study, led by Professor Jane Entwistle, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Science and Environment at Northumbria University, has been launched in Leeds to screen children for lead exposure.
Northumbria University, 17th November 2025
Protecting Barney Beck
Pollution is also caused by contaminated groundwater (mine water) which flows out of the drainage tunnels built by the miners. This pollution, which harms river wildlife such as fish and river-flies, will continue for centuries unless action is taken. In 2023, Parliament adopted a legally-binding target to halve the length of rivers polluted by harmful metals from abandoned metal mines by 2038, against a baseline of ~1,500km (3% of English rivers).
Yorkshire Dales National Park
UK reconsiders screening for lead poisoning in children
Health ministry responds to FT series showing toxic metal still present in homes, soil, drinking water and food
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 5th November 2025
Toxic legacy: uncovering the threat of lead poisoning
Our latest investigative podcast series explores the UK’s failure to address a crisis. Hughes has spent years hearing the stories of parents fighting for answers and the children poisoned by their own homes. She looks at how other countries handle this threat and the potential impact of lead poisoning on health, inequality and GDP.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 5th November 2025
Toxic Legacy, Ep. 3: “The Whisper and Scream”
A toddler in Leeds died from lead poisoning. Laura Hughes speaks to doctors in the UK to learn what must be done to prevent it from happening again. She learns that truly addressing the problem will be a massive undertaking. It would require a complete overhaul of the housing, environmental and food standards systems. But first, we need to find out where the lead is.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 5th November 2025
My one-year-old eats books, toys, tables and even his cot
Junior ended up with lead in his blood after the swap to a metal bed allowed him access to his doorframe at night
Catriona Aitken, BBC News, 1st November 2025
Toxic Legacy, Ep. 2: “Painted Over”
The UK has some of the oldest housing in the world. Although the use of lead paint is banned, what happens to the paint already on your walls? Laura Hughes speaks to families fighting for answers and the children poisoned by their own homes. She learns that it’s not only old homes that pose a serious risk.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 29th October 2025
Untold: Toxic Legacy is a devastating investigation
Here’s a scary story, just in time for Halloween. Untold: Toxic Legacy is about ghosts – loads of them – everywhere and nowhere, hiding from the light.
It’s not really a ghost story; the toxic legacy of the title is lead.
Miranda Sawyer, The Observer, 26th October 2025
Toxic Legacy, Ep. 1: “Silent Danger”
Laura Hughes receives a tip that horses are dropping dead in Wales. As she investigates, she finds decades of academic studies researching the problem. She learns these aren’t isolated incidents. Something is spreading across the countryside. It’s undetectable to humans, nobody knows it’s there — until they fall ill.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 22nd October 2025
Toxic Legacy, trailer
You might be living with lead poisoning and not know it: the toxin is often invisible to the human eye, but wreaks havoc on our bodies once we’re exposed.
Lead poisoning can lead to a range of tragic outcomes — including mood disorders, heart disease and kidney failure. Children are particularly vulnerable, with lead causing behavioural problems and lowered IQ.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 22nd October 2025
Survey reveals half of plumbers risk contaminating drinking water with lead solder
Jonathan Samuel, Director of WaterSafe, said: “Our survey results are a serious wake-up call. The ban on lead solder in drinking water systems has been in place for decades, yet our survey shows this illegal practice is still worryingly common. For a simple repair or installation to put a family’s health at risk is unacceptable.
Water Safe, October 2025
Rivers of Lead
There are over 6,000 abandoned lead mines across the UK leaking hundreds of tons of metals into our rivers each year. With climate change causing an increase in flooding, contamination is likely to get worse. Is this lead ending up in our food chain, water system and blood?
Lucy Taylor and Dan Ashby, BBC Radio 4, File on 4, 20th August 2025
Protect children, not just animals, from lead exposure
I am glad that the government has moved to protect birds and wildlife from toxic lead exposure by banning lead ammunition (Report, 10 July). It would be great if its next move could be to try to protect the estimated 200,000 children in the UK who have asymptomatic and undiagnosed lead exposure that will cause them lifelong health and cognitive impairments. At present we have a passive surveillance system that misses 99% of cases.
Lee Crawfurd, Letter to The Guardian, 15 July 2025
Community testing in Dublin finds almost half of homes with some level of lead in tap water
Also, 20 percent of the 95 samples had levels higher than 5μg/l, the threshold in the latest EU Drinking Water Directive. At the moment, though, 45 of the 95 homes in Phibsboro, the Liberties, and Dolphin’s Barn – so almost half of them – had some lead in the water.
Lois Kapila, Dublin Inquirer, 28 May 2025
There is a hidden danger in our homes: lead is a ticking timebomb
All lead pipes could be outlawed and replaced, as they are under devolved legislation in Scotland. Only this year, the Housing Ombudsman called for a survey of properties to assess levels of lead standardisation. This could and should be included in the Decent Homes Standard for the social and private rented sectors. Ensuring the guidance is updated on how households can protect themselves is also essential.
All the experts agree, and the evidence supports them: there is clear and present danger from lead, and it is a ticking timebomb which desperately needs to be addressed. This can only happen through government with a cross-Whitehall plan to address this costly and hidden danger.
Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk, 27 May 2025
Ministers launch third review into risk from lead mines in England in Wales
Probe by Nottingham university follows separate investigations by environment and food standards regulators. Ministers have launched a third review into the risks posed to human health by abandoned metals mines in England in Wales after a Financial Times investigation.The UK has 6,630 disused industrial lead mines — with more than half in England alone — that continue to disperse the metal into the environment.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 27 May
Children from Cheltenham special school diagnosed with lead poisoning
It is believed the children ingested paint with lead in it.
Kim Horton, Gloucestershire Live, 14 May 2025
“My council house was killing my kids” Mum’s horror as sons ‘poisoned’ with toxic lead
Joanne Skinner, from Falkirk, was left terrified after discovering her two young sons were being poisoned by toxic lead in their council house—after months of unexplained illness and medical mystery.
Gemma Ryder, Daily Record, 08 May 2025
How tap water could be poisoning you
But it is still a modern problem because many drinking water pipes still contain lead, and older properties might have been decorated with now-banned lead paint. Please write in on the email address below and let me know how bad this problem really is.( DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk).
Dr Ellie Cannon, Mail on Sunday, 12 April 2025
Is your tap water poisoning your family?
These are the UK’s hotspots for dangerously high levels of a common but toxic material – and this is how to find out if YOUR supply is contaminated.
Britain’s Toxic Secret
Is your council sitting on important information which could pose a risk to health and property? A year-long investigation reveals some local authorities have been failing to act on a toxic secret they’ve known about for decades
Tomos Morgan, BBC Wales, 13 March 2025
MPs underline risks of toxic lead paint in English homes
Millions of English homes that have lead paint potentially pose a health risk, MPs and academics have warned, as pressure grows on the government to release fresh guidance on how households can protect themselves.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 3 March
Ministers ignored evidence of farm animals poisoned by lead, experts say
Environmental experts have accused the government of failing to “get to grips” with two decades of evidence detailing how hundreds of farm animals in England suffered lead poisoning after being reared near abandoned metal mines.
England’s housing ombudsman calls for survey of lead in properties
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 20
Roman Empire’s use of lead lowered IQ levels across Europe, study finds
Widespread use of metal caused estimated 2- to 3-point drop in IQ for nearly 180 years of Pax Romana
Ian Sample, The Guardian, 6 January 2025
‘A time bomb’: fears for children being poisoned by lead paint in UK homes
Lack of routine testing means thousands of youngsters could be suffering from effects, say experts.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 29
England’s environment watchdog told to review risk from lead mines
The Environment Agency has been ordered to find out whether local councils are identifying contaminated land downstream of historic lead workings as part of a review commissioned by the UK government. The UK has 6,630 abandoned industrial lead mines — of which more than 3,600 are in England — that continue to disperse the metal into the environment each year.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 2
High lead level warning in Cotswold village water
Thames Water has issued the warning to 34 properties in Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire.The letter claims recent tests have shown lead levels to be between 14.5 and 18.6 micrograms per litre when the maximum should be 10. Mr Anders recalled seeing “lots of Thames Water vans” near his home last week before he received a letter warning him not to drink his tap water. Thames Water has since provided him and his neighbours with bottles of water.
Lee Madan & Harriet Robinson, BBC, 8 November 2024
UK food safety watchdog to probe lead levels near abandoned mines
The UK’s independent food safety watchdog will investigate lead levels in food produced near abandoned lead mines after the impact of the toxic metal on human health was highlighted by a Financial Times investigation.The UK has 6,630 abandoned lead mines that continue to disperse the metal into the environment each year.
A Hidden Epidemic: Addressing Childhood Lead Poisoning in the UK
Annual costs associated with lead poisoning in the UK run into the billions. Active surveillance, reporting, and comprehensive testing could eliminate this hidden public health crisis.
Dr Lucia Coulter, Lee Crawfurd, Tammy Tan, UK Day One, 9 July 2024
UK urged to ban leaded aviation fuel for small planes
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 17 August 2024
Risk of lead contamination in UK food chain should be assessed, says senior scientist
Senior toxicologist warns about toxic metals leaking from disused mines, calls for urgent monitoring. Alan Boobis, emeritus professor of toxicology at Imperial College London, said “there is a potential problem from lead exposure, the scale of which is currently unclear”. Every year the UK’s Veterinary Medicines Directorate tests 400-450 samples of meat, milk, fish and honey for the presence of lead and other heavy metals. But many scientists say that testing such a small number of food items offers an insufficient assessment.
“I was in the UK last year and I found it troubling that so little was known,” said Professor Bruce Lanphear. “The politicians don’t know and the public don’t know what the full picture is.”
A UK study of 112 farm animals, reared on land in areas with high lead levels in the soil, found that samples of livers and kidneys in sheep were “mostly above” the maximum lead level threshold, as were kidneys from cattle.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 23 July 2024
In Rialto, scientists gather with locals to talk about making sure there’s no lead in the water
The team behind the “AMEND: Unleading Water” project are helping people across the city get their water tested.
Bartria Augelli, Dublin Inquirer, 17 July 2024
The unseen dangers of lead contamination in the UK
In total, there are an estimated 8,500 old metal mines across the UK that continue to disperse toxic metals including lead into the environment every year.
In September 2023, Professor Mark Macklin from the University of Lincoln, who has been studying mine pollution for more than 40 years, published a global study that estimated as many as 557,000 people in the UK currently live on a floodplain contaminated by historic metal mining. The highest concentration was found in the northern Pennines, Cumbria, Cornwall, the Peak District, North Wales and the Yorkshire Dales.
In January 2023, the UK parliament approved a new legally binding target to halve the length of rivers polluted by abandoned metal mines by 2038. But Macklin notes that current remediation efforts only target mine sites and not floodplains downstream. “It’s very unlikely indeed that this target will be met,” he says.
Professor Toby Knowles from the University of Bristol, who led the UK’s research, studied lead levels in 112 farm animals across the country on land in areas with high geochemical lead. lead levels in the samples of livers and kidneys in British sheep were “mostly above” the maximum limit at the time of 0.5 mg/kg, as were kidneys from cattle, according to findings published in 2014.
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 6 June 2024
200,000 people in Wales live near land contaminated with heavy metals
Laura Hughes, Financial Times, 8 May 2024
Morning Live
There was an excellent short film presented on BBC Morning Live on 8th February 2024 about lead paint and renovation. The relevant parts are from timings 11:56 to 19:29 and 29:25 to 36:08.
BBC, 8 February 2024
Schoolchildren exposed to drinking water containing dangerous levels of lead.
Tests results from tap water obtained by i show the toxic metal is still being found at levels well above the standard of 10 micrograms per litre despite a ban on lead pipes in 1970.
Dean Kirby, The I, 14 July 2023
Parents on how lead poisoning upended their lives: ‘It’s been a rollercoaster of feelings’
Lead poisoning is complicated and scary. Here are the stories of three parents who have experienced it, including one who is still trying to reduce her child’s lead levels.
Ban on hunting birds with lead shot in EU wetlands hailed as ‘huge milestone’
Shooting birds using lead shot will be banned in all wetlands in the European Union from this week.
Phoebe Weston, The Guardian, 15 February 2023
Aeroplane hobbyists putting thousands at risk of cancer thanks to lead-based fuel
Anyone living within four kilometres of UK’s 134 recreational aerodromes could be breathing in harmful emissions
Tony Drive, The Telegraph, 10 January 2023
Christina Hall announces she has lead and mercury poisoning ‘most likely’ from house-flipping career in ‘gross’ buildings.
Reality TV personality Christina Hall, 39, said Thursday she is suffering from mercury and lead poisoning – and fears her work renovating houses made her sick.
Mansur Shaheen, Sameer Suri, Mail Online, 23 December 2022
The UK has virtually eradicated fatalities in children, but the global outlook paints a darker picture
Joe Wallen, The Telegraph, 9 November 2022 Commentary
Toxic Homes: The Lead Poison Threat
Social Housing Action Campaign, 15 October 2022
Run your taps for two minutes to flush out lead, households told
The Telegraph, 4 September 2022
a mean of 3.4 mg of lead per pheasant consumed would be ingested” The FDA maximum daily intake for lead from food for a child is 2.2 µg per day – 1500 times less.
Plos One, 22 August 2022
Gill Plimmer, The Telegraph, 28 July 2022
Boy, 3, suffers ‘lead poisoning’ after eating mud in garden as mum desperate to move
BMJ – Lead exposure in children
A very important article has been published in the BMJ.
The BMJ, 7 April 2022
- “I feel so upset. So sad. So guilty. And first and foremost so scared. My 18 month old son deserves so much more than to be lead poisoned. All I can do now that I have found the source is to eliminate it. And keep him away until then. He’s already showing signs of autism. And I’m heartbroken.”
- “I have a two year old who had bloodwork Saturday. I got a call from his doctor today who said he had a level of 4.8. And that if it were a 5, they would have had to report it to the State. I am obviously devastated, and am worried sick.”
- “My little man had a lead level high as 20 when we found out. As a mum I’m completely devastated that I didn’t do more research on my house before moving in! My sweet baby. The guilt I feel is terrible.”
- “I feel broken, defeated, and sad. I have a 3yo that was poisoned and an 8 month old that’s crawling around the house and I can’t help but worry all the time that they’re both being exposed in this house. I’m also mad… my baby didn’t even stand a chance, being poisoned so young. Also, how did lead affect me? Did it reach my babies while I was pregnant? Is it in my breast milk as I feed my babies? I feel hopeless.”
- “I had acute lead poisoning at about age 14 and attempted suicide at age 15. Lead can cause depression, anxiety, and more. When you joke about not dying from lead poisoning, you are minimizing my personal experience and the cumulative effects that millions of people have had. I spent 2 weeks in a psychiatric ward and was there another 2 weeks a year later. I struggled with OCD, depression, and self harm for almost a decade. And then I passed that lead poisoning to my child in utero and likely through nursing. They have anxiety and likely ADHD and I still deal with anxiety and issues that may be exacerbated due to lead poisoning.”
- “I wish things were different. I wish they paid for what they did to you. It weighs heavy on my heart all the time. We won (a) 6 year long battle for this horrible world to recognize the hardships you will face for the remainder of your life. I just miss that smile.”
- “My sons highest was 6 he went down a point every three months and Is now a 3 he turned two in September and is in speech he doesn’t talk in sentences but says words animal sounds abc and will count”
- “If our GP had given us (information) when we were trying to conceive, we could have tested ourselves and our home for lead and fixed the problems then, entirely preventing our three sons being lead poisoned and the years of extra effort required to ensure they could still reach their IQ and longevity potentials.”
- “I currently find myself in the most distressing and difficult circumstances I have ever encountered. I am 53 years old and have renovated two old houses previously and have done all my own painting and decorating in every house I have ever owned. I was aware that old paint may ‘possibly’ have lead in. This is something I had always known, passed on I assume from my Mother when I was doing up my first house. When I started removing the paint a few months ago in my current house, she said to me “ I hope you’re wearing a mask, it could be lead paint if it’s old”. She is 86 and had done all her own decorating when younger. This is what we both have thought all our lives, that old paint ‘may’ have some lead in, so you must wear a mask and gloves.When I discovered that the renovation work myself and my 28 year old son had done on our stairs, removing the paint over a couple of weeks, could be extremely harmful, and had most likely contaminated our entire house because of our ignorance of the spread of sanded paint, I had a reaction that immediately had a huge impact on my mental health. My anxiety over the situation and my guilt and fear that I had possibly harmed my son, was the worst terror I had ever experienced. I quickly I began to show severe OCD tendencies. I knew I needed to clean the contamination but my mental health had me absolutely frozen, unable to move forward. I could not have my son in the house and asked him to move out, so I am now, two months on, alone and fighting a very severe state of poor mental health, whilst trying to clean a contaminated house to make it safe to live in. I am now on medication but it is very slow work, as I can’t touch anything without washing my hands afterwards and am wearing gloves to do ordinary tasks. I write openly and honestly to you, these things, that not even my close family know, because I need you to hear how vital it is that warnings get put onto paint tins about lead paint. I read all warnings on paint and DIY products, I am a bit obsessive about following them. If I had regularly read as normal course on paint tins that old paint could cause such problems not only to health but to property, it would have been in my mind the minute we took our carpet up and exposed the paint, and I would never have touched it. My young cousins in their twenty’s have just bought an old house and are doing work. Many people of their generation like them, have no idea lead is even in paint. My friend who is a nurse, when I spoke to her about my situation said that her husband had just bought a sander to renovate the stairs in their 1920’s house. She thought lead paint was only in very old houses and had not even considered it. She is very grateful that I warned her as she has very young grandchildren who visit regularly. Warnings need to be on paint tins to put this awareness in everyone’s minds, so people think of lead immediately when doing works and react to it like they would with asbestos. This has ruined my life and I think is something that I will never fully recover from.”
- “The pain seared down my leg again. I massaged it whilst in a meeting, hoping it would numb the sensation. The fog spread across my thoughts so that what was once an efficient and analytical brain, became unable to solve problems or easily process spoken and written words and simple tasks, without making me feel like I was mentally trawling through treacle. These were some of my early symptoms into a decline of severe ill health and a diagnosis, among others, of ME/CFS. How much, LEAD exposure, contributed to my ill health and the decline of another member of the family ‘s ill health at a similar time, I will never know; the timing would seem too coincidental to ignore. My husband and I saved for years, for a deposit before buying a small, run down, 3 bed, 1935 house. We were over the moon and so grateful to have a home for our little family. Our children were babies at the time. Being the good parents that we were, we decorated the children’s rooms first. I remember a comment from a previous partner about how you should sand the old layer of paint to help new paint adhere and also so that it doesn’t build up unsightly bumps from excess paint layers. We sanded the ceilings before repainting, filled in cracks in the plaster, repainted and did a spot of rewiring before the children moved in. Some health issues such as eczema, asthma emerged over the years and as well as some neurodivergent traits, but we navigated these and we were a very happy and active family; both children attended mainstream primary where they did well, and had good friendships. 8 years after being in the house, I decided to redecorate the kitchen; of course I started by sanding the doors, skirting and ceiling before repainting. We also turned one of my children’s bedroom doors into a bifold door; this remained sanded but not yet painted. That year, in fact very shortly after, myself and another member of my family became very ill. For me, sciatica , brain fog, derealisation, gastrointestinal issues, nerve pain, fatigue, dizziness and neuropsychiatric issues developed. Another family member developed gastrointestinal issues, laryngospasms, neurological symptoms and a rapid decline in mental health. I tried to piece together what had happened. It turns out that’s it’s difficult to get support in unpicking such complex presentations. Due to dead ends trying to find answers within our, seemingly, underfunded healthcare system, we looked elsewhere. Under advice from a private doctor, we also explored the nutritional route. A hair toxicology report showed raised levels of lead in a hair sample from a member of our family. I was shocked. On moving into the house, I had had the water tested twice by the local water board as I had been concerned as to whether there may have been lead pipes. No lead pipes were found and the water tests showed that the water was deemed as safe. Where was the lead coming from? The nutritionist suggested that there could be exposure from paint. I had never heard of this. I was so scared. I found some lead testers online and ordered them straight away.They arrived on a day when my husband was at work and when the children were at school. I proceed to test. I tested the bannister – my heart skipped a beat and fear ran through my body as I saw the lead tester turn red. Positive. I tested the sills, doorframes, skirting. Positive. I tested the ceilings, downstairs doors and even the kitchen and bathroom walls. Positive. I tested my child’s door. The one I turned into a bifold but hadn’t repainted yet – the one that my child would have touched many times a day. Positive for LEAD. I cried and panicked, overwhelmed with fear and guilt. I ran out into the garden and dialled to speak to family member. I cried so hard in between my fast talking about possible lead poisoning. The following 8 months tore me to pieces from the guilt and fear. Had I poisoned my family? Had I caused long-term damage to my own family and even, potentially future generations of my family if lead, which is stored in the body, is passed on? I was so ill and trying to unpick all the reasons for our ill health and to find a way forward as well as trying to care for my other ill family member. I lost my job and all the other roles I held. Other family had to reduce working hours to help care for me and our other ill family member. 2 years after redecorating the kitchen, I spoke to the doctors about the possibility of lead poisoning and was mostly met with incredulity. We were humoured and given a blood test which came back within normal range so nothing further was pursued . I have been, since, told that the half life for lead is relatively short so it would not have shown the exposure from two years prior. I tried to phone various health bodies and environmental bodies to ask for advice and also report the matter. No one was interested. I phoned a private abatement company in London who took the time to talk to me about painting over surfaces to make them safe. I contacted the MP who did pursue this initially but the answers he received back dodged the issues and explained away what is in fact a very serious and potentially wide spread threat to health, given that houses even built in the early 90s have been shown to contain lead paint ( Andrew Turner 2022 – Lead in Painted Surfaces and Dusts from Rented Urban Properties – Plymouth, UK) . I spoke to anyone and everyone about lead, including family and friends and even the Samaritans; I would say that 95% of the people I spoke to had no idea about the possibility of lead poisoning and chronic lead poisoning through DIY. I’ve watched so many DIY programmes and never once has there been any precaution offered about this.I went on to join the Lead Exposure and Poisoning Prevention Alliance (LEAPP Alliance), who are a group of professionals and home owners who have come together to drive forward awareness in the UK with the aim to prevent lead exposure and poisoning. I have learnt about all the other routes of exposure to lead, from lead pipes to plane fuels and even exposure from items you wouldn’t suspect. What is most upsetting is that lead exposure is preventable and that it wouldn’t have cost anything for someone to alert me of the dangers and basic safe DIY practices. At any point in my life, this information could have been shared: at the prenatal appointments, on the DIY TV programmes, in the DIY shops on sandpaper packaging or paint pots, in the survey that we paid for when buying the house. Just as it’s common knowledge that asbestos is dangerous to human health, it should be know that lead is toxic and how to avoid exposure. If you search for information online about lead and safe DIY practices, you can, in fact, find information and even a leaflet from DEFRA. However, the point has to made that no one will look for information about something that they don’t know exists. The UK need to step up as other countries are doing and take heed from the World Health Organisation’s campaign for better awareness. In the family, we now have diagnoses of ME/CFS, FND Symptoms, Pans and Pandas among others. As I said, I will never know how much LEAD may have contributed to our health issues, especially as we know some common infections have been a contributory factor and our family had other illness traits, but given the uncanny timing and the fact that LEAD is known to be significantly toxic to humans, I would be surprised if it didn’t at least play a part. How many individuals and families are being irreparably damaged from this? How many future generations will be needlessly affected? Why is lead testing not considered more within workups for symptoms that are known to be a factor? “
- “This slumlord stole my son’s life.”
“Water supply elements should also be included in homebuyers’ reports as standard”
Marcus Rink, chief inspector at the Drinking Water Inspectorate
“I think the intent [of the law] is that lead should be part of a routine home survey but it’s not being done. It’s going undetected,”
Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman
“Never in my career have I seen such a compelling, low-cost opportunity to make such a massive impact.” Launch announcement, Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, 2024
Samantha Power, Administrator, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
“Landlords must ensure sure their homes are fit for habitation and free from dangerous health and safety hazards, including dangerously high levels of lead. Where this does occur, councils can take enforcement action and landlords must comply with this.
“Those selling properties have a legal duty not to hide information about health hazards, including high levels of lead. We would always encourage those purchasing a property to consider an independent survey before exchanging contracts so surveyors can also advise on any risks present.”
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government spokesperson
“prevalence is likely to be higher in at-risk populations, in whom lead exposure may be a public health concern” Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care.
“we agree that raising public awareness of lead poisoning is important” Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive, Public Health England.
“with the available data it has not been possible to identify a level of lead exposure that is not associated with some evidence of developmental toxicity in young children and in adults cardiovascular and kidney toxicity” Sarah Wilmshurst, Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries, Department of Health.
“I totally support your campaign to address the continued problem of lead exposure and toxicity in the UK and if I am elected as our MP on Thursday I will be very pleased to raise this issue.” Sarah Green, MP, before she was elected.
“We agree this is a very important topic with major public health implications” Jonathan Hill, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Reading
“The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) supports the introduction of further legislation to prevent population exposure to lead and will continue to work with relevant Ministries and Local Government to address the issues highlighted” Lord Kamall, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation (Lords)
A question was asked to the Advisory Board from a representative of the Lead Exposure and Poisoning Prevention Alliance. It was asked what legislation was being introduced and what work was being done to prevent population exposure to lead, in particular, including in the NHS Long Term Plan and the Healthy Child programme. “UKHSA welcomed providing professional expert support to further development of advice of the programmes which sits within the Department of Health and Social Care. A response setting out objectives and timescales would be prepared following the meeting.” Isabel Oliver, Minutes of the UKHSA Advisory Board meeting 16 November 2022
In an answer to a question asked by Sarah Green MP about lead pipes in schools, Nick Gibb, Minister of State (Education), replied including the statement “Where responsible bodies discover lead piping, they must take action”. Parliamentary written questions and answers website.
“assessment of lead hazards … is beyond our remit” (Asbestos is within their remit) National Audit Office
Parental Advisory: Language
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Laura Hughes (The Financial Times) describes her deep-dive about the abandoned mines leaching toxic lead into British soil, livestock and food, and why nobody is taking responsibility. |
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LEAD: An audio docudrama series inspired by the true story of one child,
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In this restaurant, every meal is life-changing… but not for the right reasons. By Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, feat Megan McCubbin. |
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Drop the Lead by Refresh Collective |
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Lead: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver |
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Gen X: The Leaded Generation by Sherri Dindal |
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The Lead Police by Sesame Street |
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Free “Lead Poisoning Test” by Shannon Nelson |
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