Taking action on lead in drinking-water from evidence to practice

Lead is recognized as a priority chemical of major public health concern. The primary source of lead in drinking-water is lead-containing materials in water systems, affecting drinking-water supplies around the world, from high- to low-income countries in urban and rural areas. The management and monitoring is complex while the extent of the issue in many settings is unknown and remediation can be time consuming and expensive. More action is needed to understand, raise awareness, support remediation and prevent future exposure of lead in drinking-water supplies.

In this session, the evidence on the lead exposure in drinking-water will be presented. Information will be shared to support action from policies to practice, at local to global level, addressing considerations for policies, and government leadership, communication, coordination, monitoring, and remedial measures. WHO’s new technical brief on lead in drinking water will be presented as a tool to support the assessment and management of lead in drinking-water. At the same time, a draft action plan to prevent and remediate lead exposure in water supplies will be presented. Select countries will also share the work they have been doing to reduce lead in drinking-water.