National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
October 22-28, 2023
Visit the EPA or CDC pages for information and resources.
Find out more about international awareness and efforts.
The National Library of Medicine produced This Lead Is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in Their Communities, guest curated by historian and educator Richard M.Mizelle, Jr, PhD (University of Houston).
The traveling banner exhibition and companion website explore the story of citizen action taken against an environmental danger. Lead exposure can cause neurological problems and sometimes even death; yet this metal has been pervasive in many aspects of American life for over a century. Historically, mining, battery manufacturing, smelting, and enameling industries included lead in their production processes, impacting factory workers and consumers. Manufacturers added lead to household paints andgasoline, endangering the health of families and polluting the air through exhaust fumes. To protect themselves against the dangers of lead poisoning, scientists, families, and individuals opposed industries, housing authorities, and elected officials.
This Lead is Killing Us includes an education component featuring a K-12 lesson plan that challenges students to examine historical cases of lead poisoning through primary and secondary sources. A digital gallery features a curated selection of fully digitized items from NLM Digital Collections that showcase numerous historical scientific studies and reports about the dangers of lead.
Exhibit Run: October 23 - December 2
We would like to thank the following:
The National Library of Medicine for selecting us to host this exhibition. The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.
NOVA/NVCC Medical Campus Library and Martin and Gail Press Health Professions Division Library of Nova Southeastern University for allowing us to adapt information from their This Lead is Killing Us libguides. Visit the original sources below.
Dr. Lorenz Neuwirth, SUNY Old Westbury, for sharing his expertise and providing resources to supplement the exhibit.
