The International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) provides an opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment for further progress towards the elimination of lead paint. In 2016, once again, governments, local authorities, civil society and international organizations were active in organizing awareness-raising events: these were held in more than 100 cities in at least 47 countries. 

La vigilancia de la salud tanto individual como de la población general, el desarrollo de un número creciente de técnicas de laboratorio y la mejora continua de los métodos diagnósticos requieren la adopción de herramientas de gestión para su óptima implementación en los sistemas y laboratorios de salud. Por estas razones, entre otras, el concepto universal de calidad y el estudio de sus procesos se han extendido de la industria de la manufactura a las ciencias médicas.

In 2015, 5.9 million children under age five died. The major causes of child deaths globally are pneumonia, prematurity, intrapartum-related complications, neonatal sepsis, congenital anomalies, diarrhoea, injuries and malaria. Most of these diseases and conditions are at least partially caused by the environment. It was estimated in 2012 that 26% of childhood deaths and 25% of the total disease burden in children under five could be prevented through the reduction of environmental risks such as air pollution, unsafe water, sanitation and inadequate hygiene or chemicals.

More than a decade after WHO published Inheriting the world: The atlas of children's health and the environment in 2004, this new publication presents the continuing and emerging challenges to children's environmental health. This new edition is not simply an update but a more detailed review; we take into account changes in the major environmental hazards to children's health over the last 13 years, due to increasing urbanization, industrialization, globalization and climate change, as well as efforts in the health sector to reduce children's environmental exposures.

This 2016 report estimates that 1.3 million lives and 43 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost in 2012 due to exposures to selected chemicals. However, data are only available for a small number of chemical exposures and people are exposed to many more chemicals every day. Unintentional poisonings are estimated to cause 193 000 deaths annually, with the major part being from preventable chemical exposures, however only 47% of countries have a poisons centre.

"To achieve the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle so that, by 2020, chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the minimization of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment."