Towards curbing incidences of lead poisoning in Nigeria, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), in partnership with Resolve To Save Lives, has trained selected regulatory, academic, and state teams on the safe and effective use of XRF analyzers for lead detection.

The training, which was held at the SON office in Ogba, Lagos, was attended by people from diverse fields, including members of staff of the SON and federal institutions like the University of Ilorin; delegates from the Ministries of Health and the Environment of some states of the federation and the private sector.

Speaking with journalists at the event, Deputy Director Laboratory Services/Head of Operation Laboratory, SON, Adetoyi Adeyinka, said the training was necessitated by some red flags in the country with regard to lead poisoning.

He explained that lead is a poisonous substance that is very dangerous to human health, especially children, stressing that while adults may be able to withstand its effects on their bodies, children don’t have that capacity, resulting in some affected children growing with various body deficiencies.

He said: “There are some red flags in the country and we have to be proactive in addressing the issue. Instead of going to companies to cause problems here and there, we have invited them to this training to let them know what is expected of them to ensure the safety of Nigerians.”

Director at Spectrometer Technologies, Mirko Steinhage, who facilitated the training, explained that it focused on how to safely and effectively operate XRF analysers for lead screening purposes in Nigeria.

He equally noted that lead poisoning is a concern to humanity, adding that what was being looked at mainly were children’s toys, consumer goods (lip sticks, make-up, clothes) and lead in paint, which is prevalent all over the world.

Executive Director of Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria, Nanlop Ogbureke, explained that the non-governmental organisation that funds and supports public health programmes in Nigeria and across the globe.

He disclosed that the organisation started a Lead Poisoning Prevention Project in the country in April 2025, adding part of the activities include testing for lead in different sources  such as cosmetics and other personal products, hence the training.

“The training is to equip selected laboratory experts to identify lead in certain products and sources and to fill the body of evidence that will enable us to push forward certain policies that when enforced will hopefully lead to the elimination of lead in the country,” she said.

One of the participants, Deputy Director, Pollution Control Department, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Kano State, Usman Sadik Sulaimon, thanked Resolve To Save Lives for the training, saying he has been equipped with how to save lives in his state with the XRF machine.

“We have been taught how to operate them and we don’t need to carry our samples to our laboratories anymore. When we return to Kano, we will be able to transfer the knowledge that we have gained to our people,” he said.