Ludwig van Beethoven brought joy to millions with his music, but his own life was plagued by misery.
Deafness struck in his twenties, he suffered chronic health issues, and he died at 56, desperately bedridden and profoundly deaf.
A likely culprit? Lead poisoning.
Scientists who analyzed Beethoven’s hair samples obtained from a collector (note: strange and creepy hobby) found that his lead levels were 60 to 80 times higher than normal.
Lead is a toxic metal with no safe threshold—causing brain damage, heart conditions, and kidney issues
What it does to the brains and bodies of growing children is especially horrific.
Unlike Beethoven, most of us in the western world don’t face the threat of lead poisoning. Mainly due to strong regulations that have expelled lead from everyday items like paints and household items.
Not so much in many other parts of the world.
1 in 3 children are estimated to be exposed to dangerous lead levels.
1.5 million deaths globally in 2021 were linked to lead poisoning.
Removing lead from paints is one of the simplest, most scalable solutions. Non-leaded paints are easy to make, but we need:
Awareness—more people must know the dangers.
Policy change—over 100 countries lack lead paint regulations.
Assistance—helping manufacturers transition to safer paints.
The Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) is one of the most impactful organisations in this field. In a short time, they have achieved incredible success in raising awareness, driving policy change and supporting manufacturers .
Given their track record and new global focus on reducing lead exposure, LEEP is expanding and hiring for multiple roles. (All remote)
I’d recommend LEEP to anyone who wants to orient their lives towards tackling a clear, solvable global problem.
LEEP is hiring Program Managers and Senior Managers in multiple time zones! Click here to find out more and to apply: https://lnkd.in/eCbF-PTG
The Program Managers will manage the successful delivery of our paint programs. We’re also looking for a Program Manager who will focus on industry engagement. The Senior Managers will lead and inspire a team of PMs. All these roles have huge potential for impact–please share this opportunity in your network and apply!
Education research officer at Ubongo International
2wCinwonsoko Adama