Media Source: CustomNews (Pakistan)
Date: 11 November 2024
Aga Khan University’s Dr Zafar Fatmi has co-authored a new paper published in the Lancet Planetary Health, highlighting the urgent need to eliminate lead from the global economy. The study, led by Stanford University and co-authored by experts from renowned institutions including AKU, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, University of Southern California, and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco, presents compelling evidence for a swift global phaseout of lead. “Why do we allow trillions of dollars of damage to human health, entire ecosystems, and the global economy to accrue for the sake of $100 billion in benefits?” asks Dr Fatmi, Section Head of Environmental, Occupational Health, and Climate Change at AKU’s Community Health Sciences. The authors argue that despite its limited economic value, the impact of lead on health, productivity, and ecosystems is staggering, affecting life expectancy, cognitive development, and environmental health worldwide.