Cross-disciplinary team awarded funding to tackling lead poisoning in UK children

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from UK universities, government health agencies and the NHS focused on reducing the harm caused by lead in our environment is one of 36 groups selected for support by a new grant scheme aimed at promoting creative thinking across traditional academic barriers.

Co-led by Dr Ludovica Gazze from Warwick Economics, the ECLIPS project will develop and pilot a scheme for monitoring the amount of lead in children’s blood using an at-home finger-prick test to collect blood samples.

Even though it is highly toxic, lead is common in our homes and our environment. It was widely used in paint, petrol and plumbing before its harmful effects were properly understood.

Children are most at risk from lead poisoning because their bodies and brains are still growing. Symptoms can include developmental delay and learning difficulties.

Despite this, there is no national UK scheme to screen children for lead exposure.

The ECLIPS team of researchers from the universities of Warwick, Northumbria, Oxford and Bristol, together with the UK Health Security Agency, the Health & Safety Laboratory and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, will develop and test new screening methods which don’t require a visit to the GP.

The project will be piloted in Leeds. If successful, the methods developed could be rolled out across the UK as part of a national screening programme or lay the groundwork for a national prevalence study, and the results used to recommend policy changes.

Dr Gazze explains: “We want to understand the current levels of lead exposure in UK children so that effective action can be taken to reduce children’s exposure to lead in the community and at home.

“We estimate that lead pollution could be costing the UK economy £6.8 billion every year, and preventing thousands of children from reaching their full potential.

“It is important to note that the harms done by lead exposure extend beyond the children directly affected. My studies in the US found that the symptoms of lead poisoning, such as lower cognitive ability and disruptive behaviour, spill over to affect a whole class or school. This increases the true costs of pollution and changes our understanding of the importance of addressing it.”

The project leader is Professor Jane Entwistle from Northumbria University’s Faculty of Engineering and Environment. The team aims to develop new research approaches and methods that would not emerge from established disciplinary thinking.

Professor Entwistle added: “Exposure to legacy lead is a hidden burden worldwide and the toxic effects of lead are overwhelmingly observed in children.

“In the UK, detection in children relies on results of blood tests ordered by physicians only when there is a high clinical suspicion of lead poisoning. As such, most cases of elevated lead are missed in children with no obvious symptoms. This funding will allow the development of a novel protocol to enable widespread monitoring of the amount of lead in blood.”

Almost 900 applications were made for the scheme, with only 36 selected to receive funding.

Professor Alison Park, Deputy Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode Senior Responsible Officer said: “The perspectives of different disciplines, working together in collaboration, are vital to solving some of the most pressing problems we face as a society. The UKRI cross research council responsive mode scheme is designed to break down silos and champion research that transcends, combines and significantly spans traditional discipline boundaries.

“The projects announced today will drive progress across diverse fields by creating fresh approaches to research questions, methodologies and ways of working.

“We were all excited to see the innovative and bold approaches being adopted to tackle major issues ranging from climate change to global healthcare and look forward to following their progress.”

ENDS

NOTES

Dr Ludovica Gazze is an environmental and health economist researching urban policy issues, such as lead poisoning. Designing programs to reduce pollution requires an understanding of the negative impact of pollution and how individuals respond to the risks of exposure they face. Dr Gazze investigates these issues using large administrative datasets and experimental and quasi-experimental methods.

The core project team comprises:

· Professor Jane Entwistle, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University

· Dr Lindsay Bramwell, Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University

· Dr Jackie Morton, Principal Scientist, Biological Monitoring, Health & Safety Executive

· Carys Lippiatt, Consultant Clinical Scientist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

· Dr Debapriya Mondal, Principal Epidemiology Scientist at UK Health Security Agency

· Dr Ovnair Sepai General Toxicology and Biomonitoring Program Lead at UK Health Security Agency.

· Dr Caroline Taylor, Associate Professor in Nutrition, University of Bristol Medical School

· Dr Francis DiTraglia, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Oxford

· Dr Ludovica Gazze Associate Professor of Economics, University of Warwick

· Tim Pye, Co-Founder of the Lead Exposure and Poisoning Prevention (LEAPP) Alliance

· Dr Kishor Raja, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London