Measures to reduce lead pollution have substantially lowered exposure in Europe. Yet contamination from past use continues to affect health. Analyses led by Swiss TPH underpin a new European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing on the progress achieved and the action still needed to reduce lead’s health impacts.
The analysis estimates that average blood lead levels across Europe were around 60% lower in 2012–2019 than in 2000–2006. This decline is consistent with decades of European and national action, including the phase-out of leaded petrol and restrictions on lead in consumer products.
Lead released in the past, however, remains in soil, dust, older buildings and water infrastructure, creating continuing sources of exposure. No safe blood lead concentration has been identified. Even low levels can affect children’s brain development, while exposure in adults is associated with cardiovascular disease and premature mortality.
The report’s main analysis estimated around 310,000 adult deaths attributable to lead annually in Europe. A more conservative calculation, using a higher reference blood lead concentration, produced an estimate of approximately 62,500 deaths. Both estimates draw on modelled exposure for 2012–2019 alongside more recent mortality data.
Evidence to guide further action
Understanding where people remain exposed is essential for reducing this burden. However, regular and representative blood lead monitoring remains insufficient across Europe, leaving important gaps in the evidence needed to identify populations at risk and guide prevention.
Swiss TPH’s Bayesian Modelling and Analysis group led both the exposure modelling and the assessment of the associated health burden. The team developed models combining existing blood lead measurements with environmental, dietary, behavioural and socioeconomic data. This enabled estimates across 34 European countries, including Switzerland, and helped identify priorities for further monitoring.
The EEA briefing Lead in Europe – ending a toxic legacy, published on 12 November 2026, calls for action on both past contamination and remaining sources of exposure. Priorities include replacing lead-containing water infrastructure, addressing contaminated sites and maintaining controls on lead in products and workplaces. Expanding blood lead monitoring, particularly among children, would help identify populations at risk and assess whether these measures are reducing exposure.
The work was carried out as part of a task assigned by the European Environment Agency (EEA) to the European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE), coordinated by NILU. Colleagues from the German Environment Agency (UBA), VITO and the EEA contributed through scientific discussions and review. The work also benefited from collaboration with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Further information
- EEA briefing: Lead in Europe – ending a toxic legacy
- ETC HE Report 2026/7: Estimating lead exposure and burden of disease in Europe
- EEA press release
For media enquiries, please contact communications@swisstph.ch.
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