The Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) is an international non-governmental organization aimed at reducing lead exposure in low and middle income countries.[1] Based in London, England, it was founded in 2020 to promote research and advocacy on the prevalence and consequences of lead poisoning in the developing world.[1] Giving What We Can has identified LEEP as among the most cost effective charitable organizations in the world, preventing childhood lead exposure at a cost of US$1.66 on average,[2][3] and saving disability-adjusted life years for approximately US$14.[3] In 2023, LEEP had revenues of US$8.97 million.[4]
 | |
| Abbreviation | LEEP |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2020 |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | Reducing lead exposure in low and middle income countries |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
Region | Global |
| Fields | Global health, international development |
Co-Founders | Lucia Coulter Jack Rafferty |
Revenue | US$8,970,000 (2023) |
| Expenses | US$830,735 (2023) |
| Staff | 19 |
| Website | leadelimination |
History
editLEEP was founded in 2020 by Lucia Coulter, a British physician and former NHS doctor, and Jack Rafferty, a former NGO executive.[1] The organization was incubated by Charity Entrepreneurship, which supported LEEP in its first year with a US$60,000 grant.[5]
Among LEEP's first projects was a study of the incidence of lead in paint brands in Malawi.[6] Conducted in partnership with Malawi's Bureau of Standards, the study found that 53% of sampled paints had dangerous levels of lead.[7] After its paint study, LEEP partnered with the Malawian government to craft regulations against lead paint, offering technical support to manufacturers to find alternative formulas. A follow up paint study conducted in 2023 found that the share of lead contaminated paint samples in Malawi fell by 20 percentage points, to 33%.[7]
LEEP has replicated its "playbook" of testing, regulation, and enforcement in several other countries. In 2022, LEEP supported a study of lead paint in the cities of Gaborone, Botswana and Harare, Zimbabwe in collaboration with researchers at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Zimbabwe.[8] Results found that over 70% of sampled paints had lead levels above the regulatory limit.[9]
LEED has also conducted research and advocacy in Pakistan, where 70% of children have blood lead levels exceeding 5 micrograms per liter,[6] the World Health Organization guideline for when it is worthwhile identifying and terminating sources of lead exposure.[10] In their initial survey, LEEP found that 40% of sampled paints had lead levels above the legal limit in Pakistan,[6][11] suggesting poor enforcement of existing rules. In response, LEEP worked with the Pakistani government and local paint manufacturers to improve enforcement of regulations against lead adulteration.[12] Within four months, ten paint manufacturers, five of them among the most popular paint brands in Pakistan, agreed to switch to lead-free formulations.[12]
In 2022, LEEP co-founders Lucia Coulter and Jack Rafferty were named to Vox's inaugural "Future Perfect 50", a list of 50 individuals working on important, neglected, and tractable global issues.[1] That same year, Coulter and LEEP co-executive director Clare Donaldson joined a working group convened by the Center for Global Development aimed at mitigating the burden of lead poisoning in the developing world.[13]
In December 2023, LEEP co-founder Lucia Coulter appeared on the podcast of 80,000 Hours, a non-profit organization that advocates and advises individuals on how to have the highest social impact over the course of their careers.[3]
At the annual meeting of the World Health Assembly in 2024, LEEP participated in a roundtable on the dangers of lead exposure alongside representatives from USAID, UNICEF, and the governments of Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.[14] The meeting was called in response to a call for action by USAID administrator Samantha Power, who has highlighted lead exposure as a priority area of focus.[14]
Funding
edit
LEEP was incubated and provided with seed funding by Charity Entrepreneurship, an organization promoting innovative profits that take evidence-based approaches to maximizing social impact.[3][5] In 2023, LEEP raised US$8.97 million, with the majority of its revenue coming from Founders Pledge,[2] Schmidt Futures,[2] and the Greenbridge Family Foundation.[15] LEEP has also raised significant funds from Open Philanthropy,[16][17] an effective altruism inspired grant maker, which identified reducing childhood lead exposure as a neglected, tractable, and cost effective way of improving welfare. LEEP is one of three main grantees, alongside Pure Earth and the Center for Global Development, supported by Open Philanthropy that aim to reduce lead exposure in low and middle income countries.[18] In 2023, LEEP also received over US$1.7 million in donations from private individuals[4] including William MacAskill, a philosopher and originator of the effective altruism movement.[19]
Since 2024, LEEP has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development to reduce lead exposure in low and middle income countries.[14] USAID Administrator Samantha Power has observed that the agency is "well-positioned to convene around, advocate for, and support lead mitigation efforts by partner governments."[20]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Matthews, Dylan (2022-10-20). "Lucia Coulter and Jack Rafferty want to strip the world of lead-based paint". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ a b c "Lead Exposure Elimination Project: Lead Policy Advocacy". Giving What We Can. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
- ^ a b c d Wiblin, Robert; Harris, Keiran (2023-12-14). "Lucia Coulter on preventing lead poisoning for $1.66 per child". 80,000 Hours. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b "2023 in Review". Lead Exposure Elimination Project. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ a b "Presenting: 2020 Incubated Charities". Charity Entrepreneurship. 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Dylan (2022-01-14). "Nearly half the world's kids are exposed to dangerous levels of lead". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ a b Mlanjira, Duncan (2023-10-25). "Study shows health risk levels of lead in paint sold in Malawi". Nyasa Times. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Chimbwanda, Tatenda (2023-06-21). "Lead Poisoning in Locally Manufactured Paints: A Threat to Zimbabwean Society". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Kambarami, Rose A.; Coulter, Lucia L.; Mudawarima, Louisa Chikara; Kandawasvika, Gwen; Rafferty, Jack; Donaldson, Clare; Stewart, Benjamin (2022-08-30). "Lead levels of new solvent-based household paints in Zimbabwe and Botswana: A preliminary study". African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine. 14 (1): 4. doi:10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3486. ISSN 2071-2936. PMC 9453126. PMID 36073128.
- ^ "WHO guidance to reduce illness due to lead exposure". World Health Organization. 2021-10-27. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
- ^ Siddiqui, Durr-e-Amna; Coulter, Lucia; Loudon, Charlie; Fatmi, Zafar (2023-02-13), "'The brighter the worse': Lead content of commercially available solvent-based paints intended for residential use in Pakistan", F1000Research, 12: 166, doi:10.12688/f1000research.128909.1, retrieved 2024-09-13
- ^ a b Cissé, Nafisatou (2023-07-25). "Saving tens of millions of children a year from the effects of lead poisoning is a surprisingly solvable problem". Nature. 619 (7971): 674–674. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-02368-0.
- ^ "Understanding and Mitigating the Global Burden of Lead Poisoning". Center for Global Development. 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ a b c Office for Press Relations (2024-05-29). "USAID and UNICEF Join Forces to Call for More Action to Prevent Maternal and Child Exposure to Toxic Lead". USAID. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
- ^ "Additional Impact Partners". Greenbridge Family Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
- ^ "Lead Exposure Elimination Project — New Method for Lead Paint Measurement". Open Philanthropy. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ "Lead Exposure Elimination Project — General Support". Open Philanthropy. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Oehlsen, Emily; Smith, Chris; Simonson, Jamie (2024-04-30). "Cool Things Our GHW Grantees Accomplished in 2023". Open Philanthropy. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ Bajekal, Naina (2022-08-10). "Want to Do More Good? This Movement Might Have the Answer". Time. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
- ^ "Administrator Samantha Power Calls for a Global Effort To Eliminate Toxic Lead from Consumer Goods". United States Agency for International Development. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-09-22.