Lead Industry Influence in the 21st Century: An Old Playbook for a "Modern Metal"

A Community-Based Participatory Research Program to Assess Community Lead Exposure Risk: Establishing Research Priorities

Background

Lead is an environmental health hazard that disproportionately impacts communities of color across the United States. Recent incidents of widespread lead exposure have been linked to aging infrastructure, historical land use, and challenges in lead remediation.

Purpose

To determine community research priorities for a subsequent lead exposure assessment in a primarily Latino community.

Methods

Four focus groups were conducted with community members (n= 73) in Norristown, PA and data were collected from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. Open coding was used to conduct a thematic analysis of the transcript data.

Results

Four themes were identified: 1) sources of concern, 2) lack of information surrounding lead, 3) systemic neglect, and 4) financial implications. Future research priorities include identifying contamination sources through testing of the household water supply, household paint, and soil as well as personal blood lead levels.

Conclusions & Implications

There was broad community support for a lead exposure risk assessment that investigated soil, tap water, and paint sources of lead, as well as the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in all generations. The study also highlighted the lack of information about lead exposure in non-English speaking communities, the need for providing language-appropriate information, and the necessity for multiple lead exposure assessment methods.

Lead poisoning of raptors: state of the science and cross-discipline mitigation options for a global problem

Lead poisoning is an important global conservation problem for many species of wildlife, especially raptors. Despite the increasing number of individual studies and regional reviews of lead poisoning of raptors, it has been over a decade since this information has been compiled into a comprehensive global review. Here, we summarize the state of knowledge of lead poisoning of raptors, we review developments in manufacturing of non-lead ammunition, the use of which can reduce the most pervasive source of lead these birds encounter, and we compile data on voluntary and regulatory mitigation options and their associated sociological context. We support our literature review with case studies of mitigation actions, largely provided by the conservation practitioners who study or manage these efforts. Our review illustrates the growing awareness and understanding of lead exposure of raptors, and it shows that the science underpinning this understanding has expanded considerably in recent years. We also show that the political and social appetite for managing lead ammunition appears to vary substantially across administrative regions, countries, and continents. Improved understanding of the drivers of this variation could support more effective mitigation of lead exposure of wildlife. This review also shows that mitigation strategies are likely to be most effective when they are outcome driven, consider behavioural theory, local cultures, and environmental conditions, effectively monitor participation, compliance, and levels of raptor exposure, and support both environmental and human health.

The influence of temperature on the effects of lead and lithium in Mytilus galloprovincialis through biochemical, cell and tissue levels: Comparison between mono and multi-element exposures

Lead (Pb) and lithium (Li) are metals which have been detected in the environment and, at high concentrations, can induce toxic effects that disturb the growth, metabolism or reproduction of organisms along the entire trophic chain. The impacts of these metals have scarcely been investigated using marine bivalves, especially when acting as a mixture. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of temperature on the ecotoxicological effects caused by Pb and Li, acting alone and as a mixture, on the mussel species Mytilus galloprovincialis after 28 days of exposure. The impacts were evaluated under actual (17 °C) and projected (+4 °C) warming conditions, to understand the influence of temperature rise on the effects of the metals (both acting alone or as a mixture). The results obtained showed that the increased temperature did not influence the accumulation of metals. However, the biomarkers evaluated showed greater responses in mussels that are exposed to metals under increased temperature (21 °C). The IBR index showed that there is a comparable toxic effect of Li and Pb separately, while exposure to a mixture of both pollutants causes a significantly higher stress response. Overall, the results obtained revealed that temperature may cause extra stress on the mussels and exposure to the metal mixture caused the greatest impacts compared to each metal acting alone.