Organizers
As a follow-up to the activities of the International Week for the Prevention of Lead Poisoning 2025, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), together with Vital Strategies and Pure Earth, intend to develop this regional webinar to make visible the advances, challenges and good practices developed by the countries of the Americas in the reduction of childhood exposure to lead.
The event will bring together representatives of the Ministries of Health, Environment and Education, along with international organizations and academic centers, to analyze and make visible the main activities, policies and strategies implemented by the governments of the region of the Americas for the prevention, regulation and elimination of lead in consumer products.
Topics and objectives
To strengthen regional cooperation, promote good practices and move towards safer environments for public health, based on the sharing of experiences on health surveillance, elimination of lead in paints, waste management, and strengthening regulatory frameworks and intersectoral cooperation. Also, this session seeks to strengthen coordinated regional action towards the elimination of lead as a threat to children's health, promoting safe and healthy environments where children can grow, learn and develop fully.
Context
Lead contamination and its health effects are an important issue, considering its impact mainly on children, pregnant women and exposed workers. The countries of the Americas have made progress in reducing lead in paints, glazed ceramics and battery recycling, although further progress is needed in the development of standards, strengthening of technical and institutional capacities, and monitoring and maintenance.
With the slogan No Safe Levels: Act Now to End Lead Exposure, we want to reiterate that there is no safe level of lead exposure and urge immediate action from all sectors.
Participation
- DATE: Wednesday, 26 November 2025
- LANGUAGES: English and Spanish
- TIME: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm (ET, Washington)
- PLATFORM: ZOOM (with register)
Agenda
Topic
Opening and Welcoming Greetings
Daniel Buss. Chief, Climate Change and Environmental Determinants of Health Unit, PAHO
Richard Reithinger. Vice-president of Programs, Pure Earth
Dan Kass. Deputy technical director, Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Vital Strategies
Webinar introduction and objectives
Francisco Sánchez Otero. PAHO regional advisor on chemical safety
Keynote Presentation: Lead and Children's Health – Priorities for Action
Virunya Bhat. Advisor, chemical safety and health, World Health Organization (WHO)
National experience: generating relevant evidence, advances and challenges
Martha María Téllez Rojo. Researcher in Medical Sciences, Center for Research in Nutrition and Health, National Institute of Public Health, Mexico
Country Experience: Lead Exposure Surveillance and Cross-Sector Response
César Munayco. Director General of the National Center for Epidemiology, Prevention and Control of Diseases (CDC), Ministry of Health, Peru
Identification of exposure and clinical suspicion: Lessons learned from the interaction between primary care teams and specialized centers
Amalia Laborde. Professor of Occupational and Environmental Health and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, Uruguay
National experience: The advances of the regulation of Law 2041 of 2020
Andrea Patricia Soler Galindo. Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Colombia
Bolivia free of lead. 2025 Memorial Mural
Guillermo Olmedo. Lead Elimination exposure project (LEEP)
Panel of comments and interagency dialogue
Guiding questions to exhibitors
Audience Questions and Answers
Moderation: Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity
Upcoming activities: Lead Colombia Course
Irene Martínez-Morata. Vital Strategies
Conclusiones and closing of the event
Francisco Sánchez Otero. PAHO regional advisor on chemical safety