ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA — An estimated 8.2 million children in Indonesia have been exposed to toxic levels of lead, posing a serious threat to their health and development.
In response, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, together with UNICEF Indonesia, has initiated the drafting of the National Action Plan for a Lead-Free Indonesia.
The initiative officially began with a Kick-Off Meeting and the establishment of a Technical Working Group (TWG) in Jakarta on Monday, November 10, 2025. This marks a critical step in strengthening inter-ministerial collaboration to tackle lead exposure — an urgent public health and environmental issue with long-term consequences for children and communities.
A Global Health Threat
Deputy for Health Quality Improvement at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Sukadiono, emphasized that lead exposure is recognized globally as a major public health hazard. According to UNICEF, nearly 1 in 3 children worldwide have blood lead levels above the safe limit of 5 µg/dL.
“In Indonesia, about 8.2 million children face the same condition. Lead exposure can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system, hinder brain development, lower IQ, impair learning abilities, and trigger chronic diseases later in life,” said Sukadiono.
Although Indonesia phased out leaded gasoline in 2006, other sources of exposure remain widespread — including lead-based paints, used batteries, traditional cosmetics, household utensils, and water from lead pipes.
Regulations Remain Weak
Despite existing progress, national regulations on lead content in consumer products remain insufficient. Current voluntary SNI standards still allow up to 600 ppm of lead, far exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 90 ppm.
“Lead is not only a health issue — it affects education, the economy, and the environment. Strong national coordination and an integrated action plan are essential to ensure Indonesia becomes truly lead-free,” Sukadiono stressed.
Concrete Steps Toward a Lead-Free Future
Through the Technical Working Group (TWG), the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs and UNICEF Indonesia will consolidate data, align policies across institutions, and design multi-sectoral intervention strategies.
These include:
Strengthening regulations and monitoring of lead content in consumer goods;
Expanding public awareness and education campaigns on lead hazards;
Enhancing research and surveillance systems to track exposure levels nationwide.
“We hope the TWG will not only serve as a coordination platform but also as the driving force behind the National Action Plan for a Lead-Free Indonesia. It’s time to safeguard our children’s future from the dangers of lead,” concluded Sukadiono.
The event was attended by UNICEF Indonesia Chief of Health Mrunal Shetye, along with representatives from the Ministry of National Development Planning, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Industry, State Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Trade, BPOM, as well as academics, civil society organizations, and development partners.
7 Things You Need to Know About Lead Exposure
Lead is a highly toxic element responsible for nearly 1.5% of all global deaths each year — almost as many as those caused by HIV/AIDS, and more than malaria.
Nearly one in three children worldwide — up to 800 million — have blood lead levels high enough to cause serious harm.
Lead damages a child’s brain development, leading to lower intelligence, behavioral problems, and learning difficulties that can reduce lifetime earnings. It also affects almost every organ in the body — including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and nervous system.
This massive scale of global lead poisoning has only recently come to light through groundbreaking research.
1. Lead Is Everywhere
Children can be exposed to lead in countless ways. The metal can be found in water pipes, paints, food cans, spices, cosmetics, and traditional medicines. Invisible sources include air, water, food, soil, and toys — even the dirt where children play.
Lead is also used in industries such as mining, metal smelting, and battery recycling.
Unborn children can be exposed when their mothers are exposed, leading to serious developmental harm.
UNICEF field testing in Georgia found dangerously high lead levels in children’s blood.
2. Lead Exposure Is Hard to Detect
Lead poisoning often goes unnoticed. At low to moderate exposure, there are no obvious symptoms.
At higher levels, children may experience vague and non-specific symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, abdominal pain, poor attention, and loss of appetite.
Severe poisoning can cause clumsiness, agitation, vomiting, convulsions, or even coma.
By the time symptoms appear, much of the neurological damage may already be irreversible.
3. Lead Affects Children More Than Adults
Children are far more vulnerable to lead than adults.
During early childhood, the brain develops rapidly — forming thousands of neural connections every second. Lead exposure disrupts this delicate process, causing lasting harm to cognitive and emotional development.
Infants and young children absorb four to five times more lead than adults when exposed to the same source.
Because they crawl and play close to the ground, they are more likely to ingest contaminated dust and soil.
4. Lead Exposure Impacts Growth and Prosperity
Lead exposure doesn’t just harm individuals — it damages societies and economies.
It leads to learning disabilities, reduced impulse control, and aggressive behavior, which are often permanent. Studies show strong links between childhood lead exposure and increased risks of violence and criminal behavior in adulthood.
The global cost of lead exposure reached US$6 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 6.9% of global GDP.
In the United States, cost-benefit analyses show a return of $3.10 for every $1 invested in regulatory efforts to reduce lead hazards.
Protecting the most vulnerable children is both possible and affordable — at just 15 cents per child per year.
5. Even a Little Means a Lot
Lead is a potent neurotoxin. Even at very low levels, it is linked to IQ loss, shorter attention spans, and increased aggression.
Children under five face the highest risk of irreversible neurological and physical damage — or even death.
Long-term exposure among older children and adults increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and premature death.
Lead exposure contributes to more than 900,000 early deaths annually.
6. Children in Poverty Are the Most at Risk
Children from the poorest families bear the heaviest burden.
They are more likely to live near informal lead-acid battery recycling sites, smelters, or hazardous waste facilities, or in houses with lead-based paint or plumbing.
These children also have limited access to healthcare capable of detecting and treating lead poisoning.
Most affected children live in Africa and Asia, but millions are also impacted across Central and South America and Eastern Europe.
In Bangladesh, eight-year-old Anik’s life changed forever after growing up near a toxic lead factory.
While the phase-out of leaded gasoline and paints has dramatically reduced exposure in high-income countries, lead levels in children and adults remain dangerously high across low- and middle-income nations.
7. Prevention Is the Best Cure
There is no safe level of lead exposure, and once inside the body, it is extremely difficult to remove. Lead accumulates in bones and teeth, and most developmental damage becomes permanent.
Thus, prevention — not treatment — is key.
Standing among debris along the Buriganga River in Bangladesh, a boy burns waste to extract leftover metals — unaware of the toxic danger he faces.
(AT Network)
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