IPEN

Global Lead Week of Action Calls for Ban on Lead Paint

(Göteborg, Sweden) Environmental health scientists, child health advocates, governments, and paint industry associations are uniting this week (October 21-27, 2018) for the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action. Calling for protections for the 857 million children ages 0-9 years old who live in countries with no protective lead paint regulations, organizations in 30 countries, coordinating with the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (a voluntary partnership hosted by UN Environment Programme and the World Health Organization), urge governments to adopt legislation to protect children’s health.

Lead paint, a major source of childhood lead exposure, can cause permanent and irreversible brain damage in children. Lead exposure, from all sources, is also responsible for a higher percentage of adult mortality than previously thought. Experts and many paint manufacturers stress that elimination of lead paint is a viable goal, as safe and affordable alternatives to lead additives are widely available. Paint manufacturers in many countries have developed lead-free paint formulas.

(Rome, Italy) Faced with rampant drinking water pollution around the world from toxic fluorinated chemicals, a UN expert committee recommended a global ban on PFOA / PFOS. The committee recommended strict restrictions for their use in firefighting foams – a major source of water pollution around the world. At issue are two toxic fluorinated chemicals that have been used in firefighting foams; perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).