Lead poisoning is not just a public health issue — it’s a racial justice issue. For generations, discriminatory housing policies, redlining, and systemic disinvestment have left Black and brown families disproportionately exposed to lead in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods.

In Cleveland, childhood lead poisoning rates remain nearly four times the national average, driven largely by aging housing with lead paint. www.ideastream.org/environment-...

Lead is in the walls and water of many places NYers live, go to school, work, and visit. Its life-altering impacts pose a potential danger to everyone in our state - but lead poisoning disproportionately affects Black & Brown NYers.⁠ Listen to the full ep here, or wherever you listen to podcasts:

We're thrilled to have Shannon Burkett featured by the NYCLU, sharing her family's story of experiencing childhood lead poisoning and the important work of preventing this from happening to others. Listen, learn more and get involved at endleadpoisoning.com.

Mothers are incredible. This Mother’s Day, we’re celebrating Shannon Burkett and her relentless work to help protect children and families from lead poisoning, alongside so many mothers we’ve met in this fight who work tirelessly to keep their kids safe from this preventable disease.

In Buffalo, the condition of housing is directly tied to lead exposure. Anna Falicov explains why addressing toxic housing is essential to ending lead poisoning for children in Buffalo, NY and beyond. For more on this important topic, find the full episode at the link in our bio.

Lead poisoning in Buffalo has reached emergency levels. In our latest LEAD Talks episode, Anna Falicov breaks down what that actually means and why urgent, coordinated action is critical to protect children and families right now.

Our work advocating for lead poisoning prevention continues to build momentum — but for those new here, this is where our journey began. Experience a riveting account of one family’s experience with lead poisoning through LEAD: How This Story Ends is Up to Us.

Programs exist to help schools test drinking water for lead at no cost, but adoption can be slow. Public health experts warn that without consistent testing and reporting, families may not know whether children are being exposed to contaminated water at school. www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...

Lead exposure doesn’t just come from aging pipes or peeling paint. Investigators recently shared concern that some children’s clothing may contain unsafe levels of toxic lead, demonstrating how this dangerous metal can appear in unexpected places. www.newsweek.com/parents-warn...

Last month, advocates, families, and lawmakers gathered at the NY State Capitol to push for the Lead Pipe Replacement Act. This important legislation aims to remove hundreds of thousands of lead service lines still delivering drinking water to homes across the state. www.wamc.org/news/2026-03...

Lead exposure doesn’t just come from aging pipes or peeling paint. Investigators recently shared concern that some children’s clothing may contain unsafe levels of toxic lead, demonstrating how this dangerous metal can appear in unexpected places. www.newsweek.com/parents-warn...

Here’s why public awareness and engagement is crucial, when it comes to lead poisoning prevention: Congress recently voted to cut $125 million in federal funding dedicated to replacing toxic lead pipes. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

When you can identify the source of the lead, you can begin to solve the problem. Our latest podcast guest, Dr. Kathrin Schilling, MSc, PhD, unveiled new technology that has the potential to revolutionize how we identify and eliminate sources of lead.

New York is stepping in to strengthen protections against lead poisoning in vulnerable neighborhoods after Syracuse’s local efforts fell short. www.syracuse.com/health/2026/...

Lead exposure is not just a housing problem; it’s also a nutrition issue. Our latest Lead Talks guest, Dr. Kathrin Schilling, MSc, PhD, highlights the necessity of proper nutrition in reducing lead absorption. Dive deep into this crucial topic by watching the full episode linked in our bio!

VOTE for LEAD TODAY! shortyawards.com/vote/ We’re honored that LEAD: How This Story Ends Is Up to Us has been named a finalist at the Shorty Awards. Vote for LEAD for the Audience Honor Award NOW to help us bring more attention to the realities of lead poisoning and the urgent need for prevention!

Momentum is building. The Lead Paint Right to Know Act has passed the Assembly again thanks to the leadership of Jonathan Rivera. But it has never made it to the Senate floor. That’s the next step, and it won’t happen without public pressure.

Big big news for our podcast! LEAD: How This Story Ends Is Up to Us has been nominated in the @WebbyAwards for the 2026 Best Indie Podcast – Limited Run category! And there’s another award on the line: the People’s Voice Award, decided by public vote. Vote for us through April 16: wbby.co/57420N

This fight isn’t theoretical. It’s about real kids, real homes, and a problem we already know how to prevent. The Lead Paint Right to Know Act has passed the Assembly. Now it needs to reach the Senate floor. Add your voice. Help push it forward. Go to EndLeadPoisoning.org to join our fight.

New York State’s Lead Rental Registry law is now in effect, with notable implications geared around prevention. For families, this means stronger protections. For landlords, it means accountability. For communities, it represents a move toward primary prevention. oneidacountyny.gov/news/new-yor...

Testing in New Orleans found unsafe lead levels in many playgrounds, a reminder that lead exposure can happen in the home and beyond. Lead poisoning prevention requires routine testing, transparent reporting, and intentional solutions wherever children gather. veritenews.org/2026/02/05/p...

Clean energy should never come at the cost of human health. New reporting shows how lead battery recycling is exposing communities to toxic contamination. Lead poisoning is entirely preventable, but only if regulations are enforced before exposure happens. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/p...

Lead poisoning prevention starts with testing. Early testing can trigger home inspections, remediation, and intervention before long-term harm occurs. But when families fear accessing healthcare or public services, children lose a critical layer of protection. lapublicpress.org/2025/08/ice-...

New research from Brown University adds critical weight to what we know to be true: there is no safe level of lead. The only real solution is primary prevention: removing lead hazards from homes, water, soil, and schools before children are exposed. www.brown.edu/news/2026-01...

Buffalo recently secured nearly $1.2 million in new funding to remove dangerous lead water service lines! This is a critical, prevention-first investment in children’s health. This funding is progress, but thousands of aging lines remain across New York. www.btpm.org/local/2026-0...

After nearly a decade of crisis, thousands of lead pipes in Flint, Michigan have finally been replaced. It’s a hard-won milestone for safe water in this community, but there’s still more to be done. The story of Flint also shows us how much work remains nationwide. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

A century of hair samples tells a powerful story: lead exposure in the U.S. dropped sharply after the mid-20th century, coinciding with the removal of lead from gasoline, paint, and other consumer products. Strong environmental policy works — but there is still no safe level of lead exposure.

Lead poisoning is often framed as a problem of the past yet remains one of the most widespread environmental health threats. Stanford's Project Unleaded is confronting this reality by mapping sources of exposure, improving data, and pushing for scalable solutions: news.stanford.edu/stories/2026...

Lead poisoning kills more people than Malaria and HIV combined and quietly robs millions of children of their future. The international community is mobilizing to end this epidemic — UNICEF has put an expiration date on lead of 2040. Watch the full episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCMs...

One in THREE children have been poisoned by lead. In this clip, UNICEF Senior Advisor Abheet Solomon explains why the global lead poisoning crisis is far more widespread than most people realize. Watch the full conversation here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCMs...

Without proper staffing, nurses cannot give adequate care. In our latest special episode of Lead Talks, nurses speak directly about safe patient ratios and why being responsible for too many patients at once puts both providers and patients at risk. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggs7...

Nurses shouldn’t have to worry about their safety while caring for others. In this clip, we hear firsthand why better security measures are critical as violence in healthcare settings continues to rise. Watch the full episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggs7...

The people who provide healthcare are now being asked to give up their own. NYC nurses explain why proposed contract changes would strip healthcare benefits from the very workers who risk exposure, injury, and burnout every day on the job. Watch the full episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ggs7...

Big news to start the year: LEAD is a 2026 Ambies Awards nominee! If you’re a member of The Podcast Academy, we’d love your vote. Visit ambies.com to view the 2026 nominations and cast your vote by February 5.

In 2026, lead in our water supply is still a real issue. This guide explains the steps to take to test what's coming out of your taps, and why protecting yourself, your family, and especially your children, is essential to stopping this preventable disease. www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/25/l...

2025 was an incredible year. From Tribeca to major award recognition and our NLPPW Listening Tour, LEAD: How This Story Ends Is Up to Us reached audiences far and wide — bringing urgent attention to a crisis that still affects families every day.

For years, people were told lead was safe. Industry pushed it. Governments allowed it. And today, families are still paying the price. In this clip, Dr. Chase Moon explains why lead poisoning didn’t disappear in the 70s and why removing toxins takes decades of work. #endleadpoisoning

Parents facing lead exposure aren’t just fighting a toxin. They’re fighting fear, confusion, and a system that doesn’t always have answers. Catch the full conversation with Dr. Chase Moon in our latest episode. Link in bio. #EndLeadPoisoning #LeadTalks #EnvironmentalAdvocacy #LeadPoisoning

Jade Shirey shares the moment she realized her home renovation had unknowingly poisoned her son and how quickly his development changed afterward. Her story is a reminder that lead poisoning isn’t history. It’s happening right now, and it’s 100% preventable.

We are honored to have received an Anthem Impact Award! Last night’s ceremony was a beautiful reminder of what happens when purpose, creativity, and community come together. #AnthemAwards #LEADPodcast #ImpactStorytelling #LeadAwareness #EndLeadPoisoning

The awards just keep coming, and we couldn’t be more grateful! LEAD was just awarded a Gold win in the 5th Annual Anthem Awards as a podcast that aims to raise awareness for a Health cause. Find the full award details here: www.anthemawards.com/winners/list...

It was a golden evening ✨ We’re so honored that our podcast received four Gold Signal Awards for Acting (x2), Writing, and Editing. Endless gratitude to Jemma Brown and the Signal Team and judges. A special shoutout to our fellow producer Luci Jones from Acast for celebrating with us.

Behind every statistic about lead poisoning is a family trying to hold it together. In our latest LEAD Talks episode, Shannon and Jade Shirey open up about the emotional cost of this crisis—the sleepless nights, the self-blame, and the fight to stay hopeful. 🎧 Full episode: youtu.be/N1gMXRw2Z4Q

When a child is lead poisoned, it changes their entire world, and their family’s too. In this clip from our latest Lead Talks episode, Shannon and Jade share the terrifying reality of parenting children whose exposure led to aggression, anxiety, and sleepless nights.

Our second-to-last stop on the LEAD Listening Tour brought us to SUNY Upstate Medical University, where the Public Health Interest Group and the Environmental Justice & Sustainability Club collaborated with us to host an incredible event centered on lead awareness and prevention.

In one of Albany's most lead-affected areas, we gathered at Arbor Hill Church last Thursday for an evening of listening and connection, hosted by our partners at Clean+Healthy. Hearing directly from local residents whose lives have been impacted by lead was profoundly moving.

Our day in Albany this past Thursday began at Albany Medical Center! Meeting lead affected families and listening to the real obstacles they face to keep their children safe touched our hearts.

Thank you to @unicef.org for this powerful feature, sharing Cooper Burkett’s story in his own words. His childhood experience lead poisoning became the spark for powerful advocacy — making sure no child goes unheard. Read the full story here: ceh.unicef.org/.../lead-sto...

Our next NLPPW Listening Tour stop brought us to Rochester, where community care and collaboration are driving real change toward a lead-free future. #EndLeadPoisoning #LEADPodcast #LEADTalks #LeadAwareness #CausewaveCommunityPartners #LeadFreeFuture #RochesterNY