Lead Contaminated Topsoil and Food in Rural Bangladesh

Human exposure to lead in the environment causes irreversible impairment of intellectual function. In Bangladesh, where some rural residents have unexpectedly high levels of lead in their blood, the source is proving difficult to pinpoint. This project will evaluate the severity of lead poisoning in rural Bangladesh and identify the pathway of exposure to help develop of focused prevention strategies. This study is designed to provide important evidence to support policy responses that reduce lead from the environment, not only in Bangladesh but also in other regions where lead contamination is a known risk to health and development.

Principal Investigators:

Steve Luby Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute and the Freeman Spogli Institute and Professor, by courtesy, of Health Research and Policy (Epidemiology)

Scott Fendorf Terry Huffington Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment

Pascaline Dupas Professor of Economics and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Roz Naylor William Wrigley Professor, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Professor, by courtesy, of Economics