• UNICEF estimates over 200,000 children in the UK could be suffering from lead poisoning.
  • The Department for Health and Social Care said it was “unacceptable that anyone in this country in the 21st century should fall victim to lead poisoning.”

The Financial Times has announced the return of its investigative podcast series, Untold, with season three launching on 22 October. The new season, Untold: Toxic Legacy, explores a hidden lead poisoning epidemic in the UK.

Hosted by the FT’s award-winning public policy correspondent Laura Hughes, the three-part series reveals how traces of the toxic metal are pervasive in the UK — in soil, drinking water, food, and housing — yet finds there is no national strategy to monitor or mitigate the risks of exposure.

Longstanding evidence from the World Health Organisation has shown the association between lead exposure with a range of health problems, including lower IQ and behavioural issues in children, which has led to bans on the use in petrol, domestic paint, and water pipes in the UK. A 2020 UNICEF report estimated that more than 200,000 children in the UK could be suffering from lead poisoning.

Through interviews with victims, scientists and government officials, Hughes exposes how the legacy of this past use of lead in millions of UK homes continues to pose a significant risk to public health, with many people unaware of their exposure until serious health problems emerge.

The series also looks at how over 6,000 abandoned lead mines continue to disperse the toxic metal into the environment every year, where it accumulates in waterways, soil and eventually enters the food chain. 

Hughes identifies the systemic gaps that allow the crisis to persist, including the UK’s lack of testing for lead exposure. Untold: Toxic Legacy also underscores the far-reaching consequences of inaction for public health.

In response to the series, a spokesperson for the Department for Health and Social Care said it was “unacceptable that anyone in this country in the 21st century should fall victim to lead poisoning. The UK National Screening Committee is currently working on plans for a new review of screening children for lead poisoning and more information will be available in due course.”

 “Lead exposure is a major public health issue which requires urgent attention and actions from policymakers,” said Laura Hughes. “The UK’s screening committee has previously decided not to conduct nationwide testing of lead levels in children because 'the number of children affected in the UK is currently not known.’ The next review was due in 2022 and is still yet to report back. Lead exposure should be given the same attention as asbestos.”

Laura Hughes was named Environment Journalist of the Year at the 2025 Press Awards for her work on lead poisoning and was shortlisted for Private Eye's Paul Foot Investigative Journalism Prize.

The first episode will drop on Wednesday 22 October. Subscribe on Acast, Apple PodcastsSpotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The trailer is available here.

ENDS

For more information, please contact pressoffice@ft.com 

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of 1.5mn, while the wider FT Group has a global paying audience of 3mn across its portfolio of journalism, products and services.

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