Article by Jesse Rothman, Paromita Hore & Andrew McCartor: “In 2017, a New York City health inspector visited the home of a 5-year-old child with an elevated blood lead level. With no sign of lead paint—the usual suspect in such cases—the inspector discovered dangerous levels of lead in a bright yellow container of “Georgian Saffron,” a spice obtained in the family’s home country. It was not the first case associated with the use of lead-containing Georgian spices—the NYC Health Department shared their findings with authorities in Georgia, which catalyzed a survey of children’s blood lead levels in Georgia, and led to increased regulatory enforcement and education. Significant declines in spice lead levels in the country have had ripple effects in NYC also: not only a drop in spice samples from Georgia containing detectable lead but also a significant reduction in blood lead levels among NYC children of Georgian ancestry.
This wasn’t a lucky break—it was the result of a systematic approach to transform local detection into global impact. Findings from local NYC surveillance are, of course, not limited to Georgian spices. Surveillance activities have identified a variety of lead-containing consumer products from around the world, from cosmetics and medicines to ceramics and other goods. Routinely surveying local stores for lead-containing products has resulted in the removal of over 30,000 hazardous consumer products from NYC store shelves since 2010.
How can we replicate and scale up NYC’s model to address the global crisis of lead poisoning?…(More)”.