Lead Toxicity Testing in the Asia-Pacific - Practices, Challenges, and Policy Insights: An APFCB Communication and Publications Committee Survey report.

BACKGROUND

Lead exposure remains a major health concern in the Asia-Pacific, particularly affecting children. Despite its significance, lead toxicity testing is underutilized because of limited awareness, resources, and policy support. On December 16, 2024, the APFCB C-CP (Asia-Pacific Federation for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine -Communication and Publications Committee) conducted Webcast & eLearning Program Webinar themed as "Protecting Health in Asia-Pacific: Laboratory Advances and Lead Exposure Prevention", aimed to address these issues and acknowledge need based solutions. An online survey was conducted during webinar in real time to assess the current lead-testing practices, common exposure sources, testing challenges, and policy changes.

METHODS

A seven-question survey was distributed to webinar participants, covering testing frequency, methodologies, exposure sources, information sources, challenges, and policy needs. A total of 66 professionals attended the session and 22 complete surveys were collected from Nepal, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia.

RESULTS

Lead testing was infrequent in the region, with 58.6% of the respondents reporting rare or no testing. Weekly testing has been reported in 20.7% of cases. The most commonly used methodology was point-of-care testing via anodic stripping voltammetry (37.5%) followed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (25%). Occupational exposure (39.1%) was the leading source of lead poisoning, followed by dietary sources (26.1%) and environmental contamination (21.7%). Academic journals (47.5%) were the primary educational resources. Key challenges included low awareness among healthcare providers (43.5%) and resource shortage (39.1%). The most recommended policy change was to increase government support (61.5%).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, lead testing remains infrequent across many settings, with limited routine implementation and heavy reliance on point-of-care methodologies. Occupational exposure emerged as the predominant source of lead poisoning, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. Strengthening government support is identified as the most critical policy change to enhance lead testing and management efforts.