The Medical Library is pleased to annouce a new banner exhibition "This Lead Is Killing Us: A History of Citizens Fighting Lead Poisoning in their Communities" produced by the National Library of Medicine.
The exhibition is on view in the corridor between SHM L 112A/B from July 3 - August 12, 2023.
"This Lead Is Killing Us" explores the story of citizen action taken against an environmental danger. Lead exposure can cause neurological problems and sometimes even death; yet this metal has been pervasive in many aspects of American life for over a century. Historically, mining, battery manufacturing, smelting, and enameling industries included lead in their production processes, impacting factory workers and consumers. Manufacturers added lead to household paints and gasoline, endangering the health of families and polluting the air through exhaust fumes. To protect themselves against the dangers of lead poisoning, scientists, families, and individuals opposed industries, housing authorities, and elected officials.
This Lead is Killing Us companion website includes an education component featuring a K-12 lesson plan that challenges students to examine historical cases of lead poisoning through primary and secondary sources. A digital gallery features a curated selection of fully digitized items from NLM Digital Collections that showcase numerous historical scientific studies and reports about the dangers of lead.
The National Library of Medicine produced this exhibition and companion website.
Image: During the 1960s and 1970s, environmental movements led to increased governmental action, including publications that warned parents of lead in homes. Lead Paint Poisoning in Children...a Problem in Your Community? U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1973. Courtesy National Library of Medicine.