Millions of schoolchildren in lower- and middle-income countries are being placed at risk from lead pollution from battery recycling, threatening their health and cognitive development, a new analysis has shown.
Over 252,000 schools educating more than 43mn children in 17 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America are located within 5km of toxic sites, according to a study using geocoding by the Centre for Global Development, a think-tank. That includes 5.2mn children within 1km.
The findings come at a time of growing focus on the effects of lead on human health and development, which is increasingly viewed as a contributor to low levels of educational attainment in children and is estimated to cost countries $1.4tn in economic potential.