Pure Earth

A staggering 800 million children have lead poisoning, according to the groundbreaking report, The Toxic Truth, released by Pure Earth and UNICEF in 2020. Thirty per cent of these children live in India, ranking it #1 in the world.

In response to The Toxic Truth report, Niti Aayog engaged the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) to examine and review the report’s data and findings for India. CSIR, has now published its own report, “Assessment of Lead Impact on Human and India’s Response”, which validates The Toxic Truth’s data and presents recommendations for reducing and mitigating Lead

exposures in India. CSIR-NITI Aayog research and the UNICEF/Pure Earth report highlight a major and massive public health crisis in India.

About Pure Earth (https://www.pureearth.org/)

As the leading non-profit addressing the global lead pollution problem for the past 15 years, Pure Earth has committed to scaling up its program in India.

Pure Earth’s India country office, Bharat Pure Earth Foundation, has laid important groundwork and is now well-positioned to launch a National Strategic Lead Plan consisting of evidence-based strategies and interventions.

Key programmatic accomplishments include:

• Identified and assessed over 500 sites for toxic contamination, the majority contaminated by unsafe battery recycling;
• Conducted the country’s first lead source analysis in Patna, Bihar; documenting for the first time adulterated turmeric as a significant problem;
• Piloted clean-ups of lead-contaminated sites in Bihar and Tamil Nadu;
• Provided inputs to Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
• Establishing a partnership with National Institution for Transforming India (NITI – Aayog) to spearhead a new National Lead Advisory Group, consisting of experts representing relevant government agencies, industries, NGOs, and academic institutions charged with reducing lead pollution in India.
• Developed strong partnerships with other state and national agencies, including Central and State Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Center and States Health Departments, Medical and Research institutions, and collaborative relationships with industry, including Indian Lead Zinc Development Association (ILZDA) and the International Lead Association (ILA) and other critical stakeholders.