Pure Earth scaling to 20+ countries
With Audacious Project funding, Pure Earth is rolling out its three-step lead-prevention model in over 20 countries home to 500 million children.
Snapshot · TED Talks Daily
The deadly threat affecting millions — and how to prevent it | Drew McCartor
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Jul 10, 2026
Where this was said
The Scale-Up: 20+ Countries, 500 Million Children, 8 Years
At 19:48 · chapter starts 19:45
The endgame McCartor describes is ambitious by any measure: Pure Earth rolling out its tested, government-facing three-step model in more than 20 countries simultaneously, covering a combined population of 500 million children [1] — Drew McCartor "Backed by the Audacious Project, Pure Earth is deploying its three-step model in over 20 countries home to 500 million children. Over the n…" 19:45 . The funding vehicle is the Audacious Project, TED's initiative to back transformative global ideas at scale. McCartor is careful to frame the timeline in generational terms — over the next eight years, he expects the program to measurably improve the intellectual capacity, physical health, and longevity of those half a billion children. But the benefits don't stop there: every generation raised in those environments after the lead is gone inherits a cleaner, safer developmental landscape. He closes on Saim — acknowledging that nothing can give back what lead stole from him — and pivots to the millions of young brains still under construction that can still be reached. 'We have to get to them before lead does.' It's an invitation, not a lament: the model exists, the funding exists, and the only remaining bottleneck is awareness.
500 Million Children, 20+ Countries: The Audacious Scale-Up
Backed by the Audacious Project, Pure Earth is deploying its three-step model in over 20 countries home to 500 million children. Over the next 8 years, the program aims to improve not just those kids' health and intelligence — but every generation that follows.
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