More than 50 participating organizations of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) from over 40 countries are taking part in the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) on October 23-29, 2022.
Now on its 10th year, the week of action seeks to raise awareness about the health effects of lead exposure, highlight the efforts of countries and partners to prevent lead exposure, particularly in children, and urge further action to eliminate lead paint through regulatory action at the country level. Various research, information, policy advocacy and social mobilization activities are being planned to urge governments, industries, civil society groups and other stakeholders to “say no to lead poisoning” and ramp up the adoption and enforcement of laws banning lead in all paints to protect the health of children, including babies in the womb.
Our Kids Can’t Wait, End Lead Paint Now
See the IPEN ILPPW 2022 Press Release
Southeast and East Asia
CHINA
The Toxics Free Corps, in collaboration with the China National Coating Industry Association (CNCIA), Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE) Foundation, and Changsha Shuguang Environmental Protection, will organize a webinar on October 31, 2022, to discuss ongoing efforts to eliminate lead paint in the country. Toxics Free Corps will also publicize the results of their latest study on lead content in solvent-based paints for household use.
INDONESIA
Gita Pertiwi will organize a campaign to increase public awareness on the dangers of lead paint and to promote the use of lead-free paints, especially in children’s play facilities. A talk show will be held at Jebres District Educational Smart Park in Surakarta City with government officials and personnel, teachers, and kindergarten students in attendance.
INDONESIA
To protect 33 million Indonesian children from lead exposure, Nexus3 will conduct a campaign to push the government to prohibit lead paints manufactured and sold in the country, as well as to influence the paint and coating industry to eliminate lead in their products as socially responsible business and in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition to the media activities, play equipment in five to 10 playgrounds will be repainted with lead-safe paints.
MALAYSIA
The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) plans to conduct a new study to generate fresh data on lead concentrations in paints to raise public awareness about this problem and advocate for the implementation of lead paint laws. The findings will be publicized in a press conference during the week of action and will be used to lobby the government to adopt and enforce lead paint regulations.
PHILIPPINES
The EcoWaste Coalition will mark the 10th ILPPW with a host of activities to promote awareness and action on lead-based paint hazards. It will release a new report “Imported Lead-Containing Spray Paints Sold in the Philippine Market” co-published with IPEN. Toxic alerts, also called “AlerToxic,” will be disseminated to warn consumers against carpentry tools, hair accessories, school supplies, and stainless steel water bottles covered in lead paint. Kiddie tables and chairs in one day care center will be repainted by the children’s parents using lead-safe Boysen, Davies and Sycwin paints.
PHILIPPINES
The Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) will organize weekly #LeadTalks to strengthen public awareness about Davao City’s lead-safe paint ordinance, and to provide an avenue for the youth to be engaged in the discussions on lead exposure and climate change. Together with partner schools and paint companies, school walls will be painted with murals using lead-safe paints. The celebration of the Youth Climate Action Day on October 22, 2022 will provide a nexus on how climate change makes lead exposure more dangerous to human health and environment.
PHILIPPINES
The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) will disseminate information on lead paint through broadcast media, particularly via the DyLA, a radio station owned and operated by the labor organization with target audience and listenership in the Visayas and Mindanao. The program is conducted live on air and can also be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/dyla.cebu/ and https://dyla909cebu.com/.
PHILIPPINES
The Mother Earth Foundation (MEF), together with EcoWaste Coalition and IDIS, will raise public awareness and urge paint manufacturers, including those that export finished products to the Philippines, to obtain third-party Lead Safe Paint® Certification.
PHILIPPINES
BAN Toxics will share information about lead poisoning via social media and raise public awareness on the presence of toxic chemicals from children’s toys and other consumer products.
VIETNAM
The Research Centre for Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) will hold awareness-raising sessions about the risks of lead exposure on national TV and social media. The purpose is to inform the government, industry, civil society, health partners and consumers about such unacceptable risks and the need for action.
South Asia
BANGLADESH
The Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) will organize several activities to mark the ILPPW, including a human chain in front of the National Press Club and other important places in Dhaka City, a round table meeting with government and industry stakeholders, and the publication of a country situation report on micro, small and medium enterprises involved in the manufacture of paints. Also, ESDO is planning to organize a policy dialogue on ILPPW in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
INDIA
Arulagam will conduct an awareness-raising dialogue with semi-skilled laborers involved in wall-painting work. These workers are some of the most vulnerable people to lead poisoning due to occupational risks from using lead-contaminated paint.
INDIA
Toxics Link will conduct an awareness-raising campaign via social media by holding an essay competition among college students about the health and environmental impacts of lead paint.
NEPAL
As a follow-up to the compliance monitoring it conducted in 2021, the Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED) will organize a study to verify double standards in paint products sold in Nepal by multinational companies and to share the findings through a press meeting to enhance public awareness about the matter.
SRI LANKA
The Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) will celebrate this year’s ILPPW with school and pre-school teachers, midwives, and parents by raising their awareness on lead poisoning sources, as well as measures to reduce exposure and thereby increase their ability to discernment. CEJ will organize a webinar, post on social media, and submit a collective petition to the government to strengthen measures to ensure chemical safety, including safety from lead.
Middle East and North Africa
IRAQ
Together to Protect the Human and Environment Association will organize awareness-raising session in the city of Erbil to inform the people about lead in paint hazards.
JORDAN
The Jordan Environment Society (JES) will organize an awareness campaign on lead poisoning prevention in in Amman, Irbid, Jerash, Bani kenaneh, North Shoneh and Ajloun.
JORDAN
As a follow up to the July 2022 SAICM workshop in Amman, the Land and Human to Advocate Progress (LHAP) will carry out the following activities: validate the draft lead paint elimination policy of Jordan through stakeholders’ engagement; endorse the validated policy to the concerned committees of the Royal Scientific Society and the Ministry of Environment; and get the policy adopted by the government.
JORDAN
The Hands for Environment and Sustainable Development (HANDS) plans to raise awareness on lead in paints and its impacts, especially on women’s health. Information will be shared via Facebook to reach a larger audience.
LEBANON
The Human Environmental Association for Development (HEAD) will campaign for the adoption of a national regulation on lead-free paint through social media and traditional media channels. Aside from the media campaign, a virtual awareness-raising meeting will be organized with the Youth of Red Cross in Byblos with government officials and other stakeholders in attendance.
MOROCCO
The Moroccan Association for Environmental Health and Toxicovigilance (AMSETOX) will hold activities to further raise awareness about the hazards from lead-based paints and draw attention to the recently issued decree making 90 ppm lead content limit in paint a mandatory standard.
TUNISIA
The Association de l'Education Environnementale pour les Futures Générations (AEEFG) will conduct awareness-raising activities via social media using IPEN materials on lead in paint. AEEFG will also share a Press Release via media to increase awareness on lead paint exposures and gather support for the development of a law to ban lead paint in the country.
Anglophone Africa
THE GAMBIA
Through the radio and social media channels, the Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE) will organize a public awareness campaign around the theme “Ban Lead Paint” in The Gambia. The campaign is expected to raise awareness on the dangers of lead in paint, promote collaboration among stakeholders, and advocate for political commitment towards lead paint elimination in The Gambia.
GHANA
To mark the ILPPW, AKO Foundation will organize a national stakeholders’ forum, an inter-school quiz competition, and community radio broadcast to support legislative policy and behavioral changes to achieve the elimination of lead hazards in all forms in Ghana.
KENYA
Back to Basics (BTB) plans to promote awareness and action on lead in paints targeting the Dagoretti Division, Nairobi, Kenya. Informational materials will be produced, translated, and disseminated by BTB volunteers, as well as through the social media. BTB will partner with Mtaani Radio and Global TV to promote a lead-free future. A multi-stakeholder community discussion about lead in paints is also being planned on October 29.
KENYA
The Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD) will organize a national awareness activity in collaboration with University of Nairobi. Several awareness raising materials will be shared via social media and displayed and disseminated in a Road Show/street activity.
NIGERIA
The Centre For Earth Works (CFEW) will conduct an advocacy campaign among various paint retailers in the state of Jos Plateau. CFEW will also conduct an awareness-raising campaign in primary schools about the dangers of lead. Social media campaigns via live chats and webinars will also be organized to increase public engagement. A site visit to local miners in the state will also be conducted to share information about the health effects of lead and various measures to avoid exposures to lead.
NIGERIA
The Community Action Against Plastic Wastes (CAPws) will conduct an event which aims to educate local government authorities, paint consumers, and the local communities in Lagos, Nigeria on the negative impacts of lead paints, and why they need to continue to demand for safer alternatives and hold manufacturers accountable.
SOUTH AFRICA
The University of Cape Town (UCT) Division of Environmental Health will be participating in the ILPPW by sharing information related to lead in paint and lead poisoning via social media.
TANZANIA
The Agenda for Environment and Responsible Development (AGENDA) will convene a round-table discussion that will engage paint manufacturers, importers and distributors, government regulators and the media in the implementation of the lead paint standard in Tanzania. The event will identify challenges in enforcing the standard and recommend solutions to improve adherence to the standard.
UGANDA
With the theme “Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Planet,” the Centre for Citizens Conserving Environment and Management (CECIC) will promote awareness on lead poisoning prevention among children in Kasese and Kabarole Districts. The children will release a statement on lead poisoning, which will also urge the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Development to come up with a policy regulating lead in paints. CECIC will also lobby for the inclusion of lead poison control measures in the budgeting processes of local governments.
UGANDA
The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), through its Community Green Radio platform, will host government officials in Kiboga to raise awareness on lead poisoning, its contact points and unacceptable risks and impacts to children and pregnant mothers. Using the same platform, NAPE also plans to call on the government of Uganda for quick actions and enact laws that limit the use of lead in paint, particularly paints used in household, schools, and playgrounds. NAPE will also conduct awareness raising activities via social media to raise public awareness on lead poisoning.
ZAMBIA
The Children’s Environmental Health Foundation (CEHF) will organize an event to call for the official launch of Zambia’s legislation eliminating lead paint. Other activities lined up include an event at Highland Secondary School and a meeting with Livingstone Chamber of Commerce and SMEs, which will be covered by the media, including a live coverage by St. Maria community radio.
Francophone Africa
BENIN
With the theme “Eliminate Lead Paint in Benin for Children’s Health,” the ONG La Grande Puissance De Dieu will raise public awareness about the hazards of lead-based paints through various social media networks.
CAMEROON
The Centre de Recherche et d’Éducation Pour le Développement (CREPD) will organize a press conference with the Ministry of Public Health and the US Embassy to discuss the adverse impacts of lead exposure to human health and reiterate the requirements of existing lead paint regulations in Cameroon.
CAMEROON
The Action des Femmes pour une Planète Bio (AFEPB) will organize awareness raising activities via social media by sharing materials and infographics about the serious health consequences of lead exposure in children.
CAMEROON
The Action for Sustainable Development (ASD) will conduct an awareness raising session for students in an elementary school in the City of Kribi, Cameroon. The aim is to inform and sensitize the children about the dangers of lead on their health and the environment.
CONGO
The Action des Éducatrices pour le Développement (AED) will promote the completion of a pending decree regulating lead in paints and similar coating materials in the Republic of Congo. AED will reach out to the heads of institutions in charge of drafting the decree, organize a workshop to determine progress in the adoption of the decree, and submit a report with recommendations to the responsible ministry.
GUINEA
The Carbone Guinée will share via social media information about lead in paint and its health impacts to humans to encourage stakeholders to understand the problem and support the development of a regulation to ban lead in paint.
NIGER
The Association Vie et Développement (AVD) will raise national awareness about the harmful effects of lead in paints and promote the need to adopt the necessary regulation. Information materials will be shared to government decision makers, the private sector and the media, an article will be prepared and published in a local newspaper, and an interview will be aired on a national TV.
SENEGAL
The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Africa will conduct a press conference and use the social media to communicate the dangers of lead paint to children’s health, and to advocate for a new law on lead paint in Senegal.
TOGO
The Les Amis de la Terre-Togo (ADT-Togo) will raise public awareness on lead in paint and lead poisoning via social media.
Central and Western Europe
ALBANIA
Through interactive and informative activities, Eden Center will raise awareness on the importance of consuming lead-free products in daily life, as well as the national regulation on lead control/limit. A podcast episode will be recorded as a non-formal chat between two environmental and health experts with the purpose of spreading awareness and practical tips for choosing lead-free products and avoiding lead exposure.
Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central Asia
ARMENIA
The Armenia Women for Health and Healthy Environment (AWHHE), together with the Aarhus Center of Yerevan, plans to organize a round table discussion to raise public awareness about the need to control the global trade of lead chromates, as well as the need to promote the adoption of stricter lead paint regulations by the Eurasian Commission.
AZERBAIJAN
The Ecological Society “Ruzgar” plans to convene a meeting of experts from main stakeholder groups to talk about the harmful effects of lead in paint and provide information on the norms of possible restrictions. Meeting participants will listen to NGO positions and answer questions from journalists.
GEORGIA
The NGO “Gamarjoba” plans to publish a simple manual and hold a public discussion to raise awareness about the purpose and requirements of Georgia’s new lead paint regulations, which will take effect on 1 July 2023. The law adopted by the parliament imposes new obligations on paint manufacturers, distributors, and sellers. Gamarjoba plans to focus on the retail chain who will be legally responsible for implementing the new regulations.
KAZAKHSTAN
Greenwomen will conduct online discussion about the promotion of a national law banning lead in paints in Kazakhstan. It will also undertake an online campaign highlighting international experiences and initiatives to eliminate lead paints to attract the attention of decision makers and NGOs. Conclusions will be prepared based on the online discussions, and a plan for further action will be drawn up to support the control of trade in lead chromates in the country.
MOLDOVA
EcoContact will conduct an online information campaign, TV shows and radio educational classes in schools to promote awareness about the health effects from lead exposure and increase support for eliminating lead paint.
TAJIKISTAN
The Environmental NGO "Foundation to Support Civil Initiatives” (FSCI) will conduct interviews, meetings, and a round table discussion on reducing exposure to lead and other types of chemical toxicants in Tajikistan.
UKRAINE
The Chemical Safety Agency (CSA) plans to promote market supervision and compliance to the approved Technical Regulation on lead in paints through awareness raising and coordination with the government and other stakeholders.
Latin America and the Caribbean
ARGENTINA
Taller Ecologista will conduct a roundtable discussion among various stakeholders to strengthen the existing lead paint law, increase consumer awareness about the health and environmental impacts of lead exposure, and increase public support for eliminating lead paint. Data on lead in paint, other toxic chemical substances, contaminated sites, and recommendations will be shared with members of the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe.
COLOMBIA
With the call “Let's Remove Lead in Paints from Small Industries,” the Asociación COLNODO plans to gather small paint producers for a conference to inform them about lead-free paint manufacturing techniques and provide them with a manual in Spanish on paint reformulation using lead-free pigments. The event is expected to contribute to the implementation of Law 2041 guaranteeing the right of people to develop physically and intellectually in a lead-free environment.
JAMAICA
The Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN) from the University of Technology, Jamaica, will organize a public forum, institutional awareness and social media features through which informational materials about lead poisoning will be disseminated.
MEXICO
Casa Cem will organize an in-person meeting with national sanitary authorities and the national paint association members to continue the work towards the publication of the national standard limiting lead in paint at 90 ppm.
Other
AUSTRALIA
The Lead Education and Abatement Design (LEAD) Group Inc. will publish and globally distribute information on the beginning of the end of lead paint and leaded AvGas in Australia and globally. The group will also announce winners of Volcano Art Prize for the lead-safety art/photo/film competition during our Annual Lead Safe World Advocacy Planning meeting.
