Authors

As President of Pure Earth, Drew McCartor leads global efforts to protect people from the world’s most damaging toxic pollutants. Over a 20-year career, he has designed and led large-scale programs across Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas to reduce the public health impacts of toxic substances. Originally trained as a lawyer, Drew’s work centers on the conviction that ending epidemics like global lead poisoning is a solvable challenge. He focuses on translating evidence into practical, systemic solutions that governments and partners can implement at scale. Drew has enabled Pure Earth and its partners to launch ambitious initiatives in dozens of lead-affected countries.
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July 10, 2026
TED
The deadly threat affecting millions — and how to prevent it
Lead poisoning robs the world's kids of millions of IQ points a day and kills more people than wars, natural disasters and road accidents combined — yet we treat it as a problem we've already solved. Drew McCartor, who runs the nonprofit Pure Earth, has spent nearly two decades proving it doesn't have to be this way. He presents their three-step fix that's already working in places from Georgia to Ghana, and makes the case that we can finally beat a crisis hiding in plain sight.




