ISLAMABAD:
A new study has revealed alarming levels of lead exposure among young children in Pakistan, with four in ten children aged 1236 months in high-risk urban areas found to have lead in their blood, posing serious risks to their physical and cognitive development.
The study, jointly conducted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (M/o NHSR&C) and UNICEF, assessed more than 2,100 children across high-risk industrial zones in seven cities, including Haripur, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Rawalpindi.
It found stark geographical disparities, with Hattar in Haripur reporting the highest prevalence, where 88% of children had elevated blood lead levels, compared to just 1% in Islamabad.
Lead exposure, the report warned, can stunt growth, cause anaemia, weaken the immune system, and significantly impair cognitive development, lowering IQ, reducing attention span, and affecting memory, thereby increasing the risk of learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
Muhammad Aslam Ghauri, federal secretary health at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, said that protecting children from lead exposure was a national public health priority.
He stressed that the evidence underscores the urgent need for coordinated action across health, environmental, and regulatory systems. He added that the government was committed to strengthening surveillance, improving enforcement of standards and integrating prevention into child health programmes nationwide.
The study identified multiple potential sources of lead exposure, drawing on global evidence, including industrial emissions, informal battery recycling, lead-based paints, contaminated food and spices, and traditional cosmetics. It noted that exposure risks persist due to gaps in regulatory enforcement, monitoring, and public awareness.
Global estimates suggest the scale of the problem may be far greater, with up to eight in ten children in Pakistan potentially affected, among the highest rates worldwide.
The report linked lead exposure not only to developmental harm but also to long-term economic losses, estimated at 68% of GDP, or between $25 billion and $35 billion annually.
“Children can absorb up to five times more lead than adults, making them especially vulnerable. Lead affects every system in the body, but its impact on developing brains can be devastating and lifelong. There is no safe level of exposure to lead for children whose harmful effects are irreversible. UNICEF is committed to strengthening evidence, advancing environmental health, and driving multi-sectoral action to protect children from this toxic threat,” Pernille Ironside, UNICEF representative in Pakistan, said.
