Pure Earth

10/01/2026

Pure Earth President Drew McCartor reflects on after a week of events in New York City.

With bilateral support shrinking, what does global development look like in 2026? Drew shares where he sees opportunity, why lead poisoning had a bigger place in the conversation this year, and what it felt like to spend the week among changemakers.

Watch the video to hear more.

09/30/2026

How do you get the world to pay attention to a problem it thinks it's already solved?

After 17 years of "yelling into the void" about lead poisoning, Pure Earth President Drew McCartor says the world is finally listening, and we have a real opportunity to solve this problem together.

In the latest episode of the Fix the News podcast, Drew shares how a Craigslist ad took him from unpaid intern to President of Pure Earth, and how a young boy in Bangladesh made the human cost of lead poisoning impossible to ignore. He also explains why around a billion children are still exposed to dangerous levels of lead, and what losing up to six IQ points means for a child and an entire country.

The good news: we already know how to prevent it. Pure Earth has spent over two decades building the evidence and the playbook to do exactly that.

Listen now: https://fixthenewspodcast.transistor.fm/episodes/lead-poisoning-is-solvable-so-what-s-the-hold-up

How do you get the world to pay attention to a problem it thinks it's already solved? Around a billion children are exposed to dangerous levels of lead. It can be hiding in cookware, spices and cos...

09/24/2026

Thank you, Ambassador Samantha Power, for spotlighting the progress of the global lead poisoning prevention movement at the Clinton Global Initiative. In just two years, funding has grown from $15 million to more than $550 million, and 40 governments have joined the fight.

In her remarks, she noted: "The nonprofit Pure Earth, backed by The Audacious Project and Bloomberg Philanthropies, is scaling prevention across more than 20 countries, aiming to protect half a billion children by 2033."

Her message was one of optimism: "Today we can say we've started to stop it."

We're grateful for champions like Ambassador Power, who remind us what's possible when philanthropy, governments, and communities work together.

We're looking forward to finishing the job, together.

09/15/2026

Momentum is building in Peru's fight against lead exposure. Pure Earth Peru is advancing the "Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure" project, implemented with Peru's Ministry of Health (MINSA) and Vital Strategies, across eight districts.

In Lima North, the Environmental Health team recently expanded surveillance activities, conducting soil and drinking water quality assessments in Carabayllo, San Martín de Porres, and Rímac, alongside newly implemented sentinel surveillance using LeadCare II blood lead analyzers. Samples are being analyzed to help identify environmental risks and inform public health decisions.

"Partnerships like these are essential to creating meaningful, lasting change for the health of communities across Peru," said Rodrigo Velarde, Country Director of Pure Earth Peru.

Read more from the Pollution Blog: https://www.pureearth.org/actions-advance-to-strengthen-environmental-health-surveillance-for-lead-exposure-across-eight-priority-territories-in-peru/

The "Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure" project is supported by funding by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Learn more about the project at https://reduceleadexposure.org/

Activities are now underway under the "Strengthening Health Systems to Reduce Lead Exposure" project in the eight Regional and Integrated Health Directorates prioritized by Peru's Ministry of Health (MINSA). The initiative focuses on strengthening epidemiological and environmental surveillance, buil...

09/10/2026

New Research! A new study co-authored by Pure Earth's Elizabeth Sefton, Gordon Binkhorst and Richard Fuller, published in Science of the Total Environment, finds that traditional lead-glazed ceramics used in Mexican cooking leach dangerous levels of lead, especially with acidic foods and prolonged storage.

Rice cooked in lead-glazed pots showed lead levels 18x higher than Mexico's regulatory limit, and modeling predicts an 11-fold increase in blood lead levels compared to lead-free alternatives.

Read the full study to learn more: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969726008922

09/04/2026

Lead poisoning is one of the world's most overlooked public health crises, and part of the reason is that it's nearly invisible.

Pure Earth President Drew McCartor spoke with Haaretz about why: "Lead is hidden in our environment, in products, in food, and you simply can't see it... A child with high levels of lead in their blood will come into a clinic, and the doctor will usually notice nothing, because lead exposure does not manifest itself through clinical symptoms, even though it causes irreversible damage."

But it's solvable when governments act: testing, awareness, and source removal have made a measurable difference.

Access the Hebrew-language interview here to learn more: https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/2026-09-03/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/000001a0-619f-d234-aff2-719f52810000

ילידי המאה ה-20 נחשפו לעופרת ברמות שמורידות את ה-IQ, מחוללות דיכאון וחרדה, מגבירות תוקפנות ומחריפות דמנציה. במילים פשוטות: הרעילו אותנו, וההשלכות רק הולכות ומתבררות

08/31/2026

This Make-A-Will Month, consider a gift that shapes the future.

Lead poisoning affects hundreds of millions of children worldwide—but it's entirely preventable. A planned gift to Pure Earth, through a bequest, a beneficiary designation, or a real estate gift, helps build a lead-free future for generations of children to come.

Many options cost nothing today and can be adjusted anytime. Explore what fits your goals at pureearth.org/planned-giving

At Pure Earth, we are working toward a world where no child is harmed by lead exposure. With your help, we can protect millions of children and ensure healthier futures for generations.

08/20/2026

A new study has found that more than half of schools in Jakarta are located within 5 kilometers of documented contaminated sites, potentially putting hundreds of thousands students at risk of exposure to hazardous pollutants, including lead.

The study, published by the Center for Global Development, featured contributions from Pure Earth Indonesia.

“We need urgent action to protect children from lead exposure in their homes, schools and play areas. These measures must be comprehensive and integrated," said Budi Susilorini, Country Director of Pure Earth Indonesia.

Read more from The Jakarta Post: https://asianews.network/52-percent-of-jakarta-schools-located-near-heavy-metals-containment-sites-says-study/

Schools in the wealthiest neighborhood quintile were 49 times more likely to be near documented contaminated sites than those in the poorest areas, as industrial activity and affluent communities often overlap in urban areas.

08/07/2026

If you’ve watched Pure Earth President, Drew McCartor’s TED Talk, then you already know more about lead poisoning than most people.

A future without lead poisoning means children reaching their full cognitive and emotional potential, healthier populations, stronger institutions, and economies better positioned to grow as people thrive.

Share our TED Talk with your network to help us spread the word: https://www.pureearth.org/ted-talk/?utm_campaign=pe_ted_talk_social&utm_source=other_social&utm_medium=social

08/04/2026

Upcoming Webinar! The Partnership for a Lead-Free Future is hosting a virtual webinar on August 13th providing information on environmentally sound recycling of used lead-acid batteries (ULABs) and launching a new toolkit on Strategies to Encourage the Environmentally Sound Recycling of Used Lead-Acid Batteries.

Pure Earth Senior Research Scientist Chris Kinally will present on the environmental and health impacts of lead exposure from ULAB recycling, addressing a leading source of lead exposure worldwide.

RSVP: https://www.leadfreefuture.org/events-and-resources/events/tool-11-launch-webinar-environmentally-sound-used-lead-acid-battery