Lead poisoning epidemics refer to specific instances of mass lead poisoning. These events often occur without the knowledge of the communities they affect. Common causes of lead poisoning epidemics include mining, lead recycling, and food/water contamination. These events also cause disproportionate childhood fatalities as children are more susceptible to lead poisoning than adults.
Notable poisoning events
This list does not include events wherein fewer than 100 people were affected, individual lead paint poisoning cases, or lead poisoning resulting from the consumption of contaminated food or water, such as the Flint water crisis. The cases below are discrete events of mass lead poisonings. +Large-scale lead poisoning events Name of event Year Country City # Tested high* # deaths Source of lead exposure Comments Ref. Đông Mai 2015 Vietnam Đông Mai 102 0 Auto-battery recycling Ongoing El Paso/Juarez 1974 USA/Mexico El Paso, Texas 391 0 Lead smelter Plant closed Fiengxiang 2009 China Shaanxi 851+ 0 Lead smelter Hunan 2008 China Hunan 1354+ 0 Manganese factory Jiyuan 2009 China Jiyuan 1000 0 Lead smelter 99.7% of children poisoned Doe Run 2004 Peru La Oroya 100's 0 Lead smelter Plant closed Michoacán 2009? Mexico Michoacán 311 0 Lead-glazed pottery Ongoing Santo Amaro 1985 Brazil Bahia 555 0 Lead smelter Thiaroye-sur-Mer 2008 Senegal Thiaroye, Dakar 150+ 18 Auto-battery recycling Closed Torreón 2000 Mexico Torreón 11181 0 Lead smelter Zamfara 2010 Nigeria Zamfara 1000+ 163–400 Artisanal mining Ongoing Kabwe 2013 Zambia Kabwe 1000+ 0 Lead mining and smelter Tianshui kindergarten 2025 China Tianshui 247+ 0 Food (As reported by government)
Number tested high is defined as a blood lead level greater than or equal to 10 micrograms per deciliter whole blood (μg/dl)
Notes
See also List of human-made mass poisoning incidents Lead contamination in Washington, D.C., drinking water Flint water crisis 2009 Chinese lead poisoning scandal Exide lead contamination from battery recycling in the U.S. Lead contamination in Oakland
References