THE IMPACT OF LEAD ON HUMAN HEALTH AND ITS REGULATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

Abstract

Objectives. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the impact of lead on human health based on a bibliographic synthesis as well as the international and national legal framework in this field.

Materials and methods. The paper presents a bibliographic synthesis of the latest updates on the impact of lead on health as well as national and international regulations in this regard.

Results and Discussions. Lead is an element with toxic properties, included in the list of ten chemicals of major risk to public health with strong effects on the neurocognitive or behavioral development of children. According to data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, presented in 2020, every third child has a blood lead concentration above the limit of acceptable values, which denotes the seriousness of this major public health problem. The latest WHO figures estimate that of the 2 million deaths caused by chemicals in 2019, half were due to the effects of lead. WHO has identified lead paint as the main cause of lead exposure in more than half of the world's countries. At the current stage, in the Republic of Moldova there is no obligation to test paints for lead content, before placing them on the market, a fact that presents significant risks for human health in the case of their use. In this sense, the development of a Sanitary Regulation for the limitation of lead in paint was included in the annual work plan of the Ministry of Health and which is currently at the approval stage.

Conclusions. Lead exposure is a major risk to human health, with the potential to cause serious health conditions, especially for children and pregnant women. In the Republic of Moldova, the main source of exposure of the population to lead is paint containing lead, which presents an imminent danger to people who come into contact with them or the places where this paint was used, a fact that requires legislative-normative regulation.