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In Romania, tens of thousands of teachers have been on strike since Monday demanding higher wages and more investment in the education system. Entry-level teachers at public schools earn only around 480 euros a month on average. Commentators agree that that's simply not enough.

Young children and infants are particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of lead. Current statistics suggest that approximately one in three children worldwide have elevated blood lead levels. Credit: Eva Bartlett/IPS

By Ahmed Rachid El-Khattabi and Aaron Salzburg
CHAPEL HILL, NC, US, May 23 2023 (IPS)

At the UN Water Conference in March 2023, the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina (UNC) along with several key partners, including UNICEF, Water Aid, the World Health Organization, and the governments of Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa, among others, organized a session centered around the elimination of lead in drinking water across the globe.

During the session, the various institutional partners articulated a vision of eliminating lead from all drinking water supplies by 2040. This vision, dubbed the “Global Pledge to Protect Drinking Water from Lead” (Lead-Free Water Pledge, for short), begins by outlining concrete steps for phasing out lead-leaching materials for new drinking water systems by 2030.

As long as lead is present in drinking water, we as a society are condemning millions (if not billions) of people to futures of health issues and reduced earning potentials in the decades to come. The vision articulated by the Lead-Free Water Pledge is one of many necessary steps that we as a global society must take to ensure access to safe drinking water to people around the world

The pledge’s two-pronged approach recognizes the complexity of eliminating lead from drinking water systems. On the one hand, lead is a problem in existing systems. On the other hand, many new drinking water systems are being constructed as much of the Global South develops and urbanizes; these new systems are being constructed with parts or components that contain and leach lead into the water.

As evidenced by efforts to address lead in drinking water in the United States, the first step of identifying areas affected by lead contamination is both financially and technically onerous. Because mitigation is more expensive than prevention, ensuring that new water systems are constructed in accordance to standards the prevent the leaching of lead is low-hanging fruit in the broader effort to eliminate lead from drinking water.

 

Lead in Drinking Water is a Global Concern

Globally, exposure to lead is responsible for a significant burden of disease, accounting for an estimated 0.9 million deaths per year and 30% of developmental disability from unknown origins. Young children and infants are particularly sensitive to the harmful effects of lead. Current statistics suggest that approximately one in three children worldwide have elevated blood lead levels.

Lead is seldom, if ever, found to be naturally occurring in bodies of water, such as rivers or lakes. Lead is also rarely present in water leaving water treatment plants. Yet, lead in drinking water is a global concern.

Lead in drinking water constitutes a significant portion of a person’s exposure to lead in countries around the world. In the US, lead in drinking water is a significant issue that affects households in almost every state. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that drinking water can account for at least 20% of a person’s total exposure to lead; this estimate can increase up to 60% for infants who mostly consume mixed formula. A 2021 study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examining water supplies in sub-Saharan found that nearly 80% of drinking water systems were contaminated with lead. Of these systems, approximately 9% of drinking water samples across several countries had lead concentrations that exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

Lead contamination of drinking water supplies is entirely preventable: lead finds its way into drinking water from lead-containing plumbing materials used throughout drinking water systems. Notably, lead can leach into water from lead-based solder used to join pipes, lead-containing brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures, and the wearing-away of old lead service lines.

 

Regulations around Lead in Drinking Water are Insufficient

There is no safe level of exposure to lead. Even low levels of exposure can be harmful to human health and can cause damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, cognitive impairments, stunt growth, and impair the formation and function of blood cells, among other harmful effects.

Many countries around the world have regulations in place to reduce or limit the amount of lead in drinking water. The European Union, China, and Japan, for instance, all have statutory limits of 10 ppb; Canada and Australia have published guidelines recommending limits of 5 and 10 ppb, respectively. In the US, the EPA set the maximum contaminant level for lead at 15 ppb.

Except for the US, however, none of the existing national-level regulations have goals place to eliminate lead from drinking water. In 2022, the EPA issued the Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) setting the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero. As part of the revised LCR, water systems have to create lead service line inventories to better identify areas where they may possible lead in drinking water. Creating this inventory, however, is proving to be financial and technologically onerous for many water systems because it requires both a significant financial investment and having access to staff with technical expertise in GIS or data modeling.

 

Delivering on the Pledge

The Lead-Free Water Pledge is not the first global initiative to reduce exposure to lead. Notably, one of the most successful public health initiatives over the previous century has been to remove the use of lead in gasoline. For context, lead was commonly used as an additive in gasoline since the 1920s when it was discovered that the addition of lead reduced engine knock allowing engines to run more smoothly.

Though the harmful health effects of lead were almost immediately apparent, it took close to a century for global action to gather any meaningful momentum to eliminate its use. As of 2021, all but one country has banned the use of lead as an additive in fuels because of concerted efforts by the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles and other like-minded organizations.

As illustrated by the effort to remove lead from gasoline, delivering on the pledge to remove lead from drinking water by 2040 will require non-trivial amounts of effort. First, countries must sign on to the pledge and take it on as a priority. So far, three African countries—Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa—have made firm commitments to eliminating lead from drinking water by 2040. Though the United States’ policies are fully consistent with the Lead-Free Water Pledge, it has yet to commit.

Second, there must also be a commitment mechanism in place to ensure countries that sign on to the pledge take meaningful actions towards eliminating lead in drinking water. National governments will have to set up systems to ensure new treatment plants follow international standards, support the training and certification of professionals to oversee the construction of safe drinking water systems, ensure affordable access to fittings and other plumbing materials that meet standards for lead in drinking water, among other commitments.

The dual problem of both gathering momentum and implementing a commitment mechanism to ensure progress is not unique to the Lead-Free Water Pledge: the UN Water Conference in 2023 culminated in over 200 similar sorts of commitments, pledges, or agreements.

Given that the next UN Water Conference of the sort that took place in March 2023 wouldn’t take place until 2030 (at the earliest), the need for spaces that decision-makers and researchers from different parts of the world working on particular issues, such as the elimination of lead from drinking water, can use to come together to flesh out details, report on progress, and hold each other accountable is paramount.

A logical step in the right direction would be to take advantage of all the current meetings to create the space for meaningful discussions and actions around lead. To that end, the UNC Water & Health conference is ideally suited to serve as a space to follow-up on the Lead-Free Water Pledge and other commitments made at the UN Water Conference. The yearly conference hosted by the Water Institute each fall is already a gathering place for experts on water sanitation & hygiene in both developing and developed countries.

As long as lead is present in drinking water, we as a society are condemning millions (if not billions) of people to futures of health issues and reduced earning potentials in the decades to come. The vision articulated by the Lead-Free Water Pledge is one of many necessary steps that we as a global society must take to ensure access to safe drinking water to people around the world. We are grateful for the commitments made by Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa and are proud that Africa is taking the lead in tackling such a fundamental issue to ensure a more water secure future.

 

Dr. El-Khattabi is the Associate Director for Research and Data at the Environmental Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Salzberg serves as the Director of the Water Institute and the Don and Jennifer Holzworth Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering in the Gillings School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Il est indéniable que les animaux de compagnie font désormais partie intégrante de nombreuses familles et qu'ils gagnent de plus en plus d'espace (et d'affection) chez les êtres humains.

Bumm.sk: Az Olaszországba árvízmentesítésre küldött szlovák tűzoltók hétfőn este 21:00 Ravenna városában szerelték össze a nagy teljesítményű szivattyúikat, amelyekkel az éjszaka folyamán elkezdték a munkát. A különítmény a Szlovéniából érkezett tűzoltókkal egy helyen dolgozik – számolt be kedden a Facebookon a Tűzoltóság és Műszaki Mentőszolgálat Országos Parancsnoksága.

Die für das Gesetz über kritische Rohstoffe zuständige deutsche Abgeordnete im Europäischen Parlament, Nicola Beer, sagte, sie werde die Notwendigkeit von Zielvorgaben für den Abbau, die Verarbeitung und das Recycling von strategischen Rohstoffen in Europa prüfen.

Les Pays-Bas risquent de ne pas atteindre leurs objectifs en matière de construction de logements en raison des migrations, de la hausse des coûts de construction et du manque de terrains disponibles, a déclaré le ministre du Logement et de l’Aménagement du territoire.

Leading experts on digestive health presented the latest data and trends at European Parliament, calling for key stakeholders from the European health community to take action to help prevent digestive diseases and alleviate the growing health and economic burden.

"Pista bácsi és a somorjai kajak-kenu" címmel interjúkönyvet jelentetett meg a Somorjai Kajak-kenu Klub. A könyvet J. Mészáros Károly készítette Székely Istvánról, a városban a vízi sportágat meghonosító gömöri testnevelő tanárról. A könyv bemutatója június 8-án lesz a somorjai Zalabai Zsigmond Városi Könyvtárban.

Une coalition de huit États membres, menée par la République tchèque, s’est réunie pour exprimer ses critiques à l’égard des normes d’émission Euro 7 proposées pour les voitures.

We, the undersigned members of the US Congress and the European Parliament, address this letter to the president of the United States, the president of the European Commission, the secretary-general of the UN, and the executive secretary of the UNFCCC.

A Sainte Rita, un quartier situé dans le 8e arrondissement de Cotonou, plusieurs blessés ont été enregistrés lors d'un spectacle de culte Egungun dimanche 21 mai 2023.

Bagarre à Cotonou lors d'un spectacle des Egunguns. Une cérémonie de danse a dégénéré à Sainte Rita dimanche 21 mai 2023. D'après nos sources, une altercation entre un conducteur de véhicule et un Egungun serait à l'origine de la situation. Les jets de pierres lancées çà et là ont fait plusieurs blessés. Les personnes ayant fait le déplacement pour suivre le spectacle dans la rue Cyclone, ont dû prendre leurs jambes au cou.
Une enquête est ouverte pour situer les responsabilités.

F. A. A.

Le président de la République, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a entamé hier, le lundi 22 mai 2023 une visite d’Etat de 2 jours au Portugal. Son avion […]

L’article Appelé « fakhamatou rais », Tebboune répond avec un large sourire (Vidéo) est apparu en premier sur .

Bumm.sk: A rendőrség evakuálja Pozsonyligetfalun (Petržalka/Pozsony városrésze) a Strečnianská utcában található egészségügyi központot, mivel a létesítmény közlében zajló ásási munkálatok során három tanklöveget ástak ki a földből – közölte a Pozsonyi Kerületi Rendőrkapitányság a Facebook-oldalán.

Partnerségi megállapodást kötött Léva és a magyarországi Nagymaros, a szerződést a két város polgármestere, Ján Krtík és Heinczinger Balázs írta alá. A cél a két város partnerkapcsolatainak fejlesztése, versenyképességük növelése, valamint a kulturális és nemzetek közötti együttműködés.

Les Amazones n'ont pas autre choix ce mardi face aux joueuses de la Côte d'Ivoire. Il leur faut une victoire pour se sortir d'affaires dans cette Coupe des Nations UFOA-B U220.

Après la défaite lors du match d'ouverture contre le Ghana (3-0), les pouliches de Abdoulaye Ouzerou doivent corriger le tir si elles veulent rester dans la compétition. Et c'est ce mardi 23 mai 2023 face aux Éléphantes juniors de la Côte d'Ivoire.

Le coup d'envoi du match Bénin vs Côte d'Ivoire sera donné à 18h au stade Baba Yara.

J.S

La Société Béninoise d'Energie Electrique (SBEE) a annoncé des perturbations dans la fourniture de l'énergie électrique dans plusieurs localités du Nord Bénin et dans la zone Sud Est de Cotonou dans la période du 22 au 31 mai 2023.

La fourniture de l'énergie électrique sera interrompue dans les localités de Bembèrèkè, Béroubouay, Kandi, Ségbana, Gogounou, Malanville et environs du 22 au 26 mai 2023 de 09 heures à 14 heures et du 27 au 31 mai 2023 à Kandi, Ségbana, Gogounou puis Malanville.
Selon un communiqué de la Société Béninoise d'Energie Electrique (SBEE) en date du 21 mai 2023, les perturbations sont liées à des travaux de maintenance prévus par la Communauté Electrique du Bénin (CEB) sur ses lignes de transport Haute-Tension.
Des interruptions dans la fourniture de l'énergie électrique seront également observées le mercredi 24 mai de 11 heures à 15 heures aux quartiers Agla, Fiyégnon, Togbin et environs, Tokplégbé et environs sis à Cotonou en raison des travaux d'entretien sur le réseau de la SBEE.
M. M.

Comme le Nigeria, la Gambie a réussi son entrée en compétition de la Coupe du Monde des moins de 20 ans en cours en Argentine.

Logé dans le Groupe F, les jeunes Gambiens n'ont pas tremblé face au Honduras ce lundi 22 mai lors de leur premier match de compétition. C'est la Gambie qui a d'ailleurs, très rapidement ouvert le score à la première minute de jeu, grâce à Adama Bojang. Honduras va certes égaliser dans la foulée grâce à Marco Aceinturo à la 4e minute.

Cependant, la Gambie va trouver la faille en toute fin de rencontre en marquant le second but à la 83e. Un doublé de Adama Bojang.

La Gambie est ainsi 2e du groupe F avec 3 points, juste derrière la Corée du Sud (3 points également).

La Tunisie l'autre pays africain qui jouait ce lundi, s'est inclinée 1-0 devant le géant Angleterre.

Les résultats des matchs de ce lundi à la Coupe du monde U20 en Argentine :

France vs Corée du Sud (Groupe F) : 2-1

Angleterre vs Tunisie (Group E) : 1-0

Gambie Honduras (Groupe F) : 2-1

Uruguay vs Irak (Groupe E) : 4-0

J.S