Lead Poisoning Silently Stunting Children’s Brain Development In Ethiopia: Study

One out of every three children are exposed to lead poisoning in Ethiopia, as paint products, piping systems, cosmetics and unregulated recycling pose serious but unnoticed threats to brain development in children and fetal health in pregnant women.

The figure was highlighted during an event organized in Addis Ababa this week to raise awareness about lead poisoning. In attendance were officials from the ministries of Health and Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regional administrations, and representatives of UNICEF, GIZ, other CSOs and academics.

“Lead poisoning is a silent but devastating threat, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable members of our society—children and mothers,” said Lelise Neme, EPA head.

One out of three children are exposed to lead poisoning. Lead exposure can arise from improper recycling practices, unregulated consumer products, lead-based paints, piping, pottery and cosmetics.

“In children, lead exposure impairs brain development, limiting their ability to learn and thrive. For mothers, exposure during pregnancy can have severe consequences for both maternal and fetal health. These realities underscore the urgency of our efforts to eliminate lead exposure and safeguard public health,” said Lelise.

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Bereket Tesfaye, moderator of the panel, a circular economy specialist and advisor on end-of-life management of battery at the German development agency (GIZ), noted that lead poisoning can also lead to complications in cardiac and kidney health, including instances of organ failure.

“Lead Poisoning is now a public health issue,” said Bereket.

Experts warn that scrap metal, which is often recycled into household utensils, as well as children’s toys, water pipes, construction materials, paint, and scratchable ink (such as the kind used on prepaid airtime cards) can contain unsafe levels of lead.

The heavy metal is especially common in household appliances and tools imported from China and India, according to experts.

The country’s public health infrastructure is unequipped to deal with widespread lead poisoning, and its institutions lack the capacity to accurately identify the sources of lead poisoning. There are also gaps in the legal framework regulating lead content.

“Ethiopia needs lead detector machines. There is also some pending legislation designed to regulate lead content,” said Bereket.

GIZ representatives emphasized the need to focus on critical environmental and public health challenges related to the mismanagement of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs), which are a common source of lead poisoning.

“ULABs are an essential component of our energy and transport systems, powering vehicles, renewable energy storage, and much more. However, if not handled properly at the end of their lifecycle, these batteries become a severe hazard, releasing toxic lead into the environment. Lead contamination affects soil, water, and air, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities, particularly children, whose developing systems are most at risk,” stated Al-Mudabbir Anam, a program manager at GIZ.