The World Health Organization (WHO) invited Dr. Patrick Parsons, Director of the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences, to participate in its Expert Consultation on Prevention, Clinical Management and Surveillance of Lead Exposure in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The meeting took place August 11-13, 2026, in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Dr. Parsons delivered an invited presentation, “A Review and Update on Analytical Methods for Blood Lead Level (BLL) Measurements.” An internationally recognized authority on measuring lead in blood, food, and environmental samples, Dr. Parsons also previously served on the CDC Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and currently serves as the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ liaison member of the federal Lead Exposure and Poisoning Advisory Committee.
While in Kathmandu, he visited several laboratories to advise on measuring lead in blood, food, and consumer products. Meeting participants described lead exposure as a serious and widespread public-health concern in SE Asia. Key sources include informal recycling of lead-acid automobile batteries and the use of lead-contaminated spices to enhance color. Countries also reported substantial barriers to identifying children with lead poisoning, including limited capacity for blood lead testing and the high cost of sending samples abroad for analysis.
Dr. Parsons’ participation underscores the Wadsworth Center’s global leadership in environmental health science and its role in strengthening laboratory capacity to address emerging public-health threats.