(Penang, Malaysia)More than sixty percent of paint brands analyzed in a new study on total lead in solvent-based decorative paints contained high lead levels, and at least one paint from most brands contained exceedingly high lead levels. The findings are included in a report released today by the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) and IPEN. Moreover, consumer information about lead content was missing from most paint can labels, and a number of brands falsely advertised themselves as “low lead.”
“The health impacts of lead exposure on young children’s brains are lifelong, irreversible and untreatable,” said S.M. Mohamed Idris, President of CAP. “We are limiting our children and our nation’s future intellectual development even though safe and effective alternatives are already in use and widely available in Malaysia. We must reduce this critical source of lead exposure to young children.”
(Bangkok, Thailand) On January 29, 2016, Thailand issued compulsory legislation controlling the amount of lead and other heavy metals in enamel paints, effective January 2017. According to this national decree, all enamel paints used for construction and decorative purposes which are manufactured or sold in Thailand must meet the following requirements:
No more than 0.01% lead, mercury and cadmium (dry weight)
No more than 0.1% hexavalent chromium (dry weight)
In addition, all alkyd enamel paints manufactured or sold in Thailand will be required to show a warning label about potential dangers from the product, for example, “contains toxic substance” or “keep away from children.”
The effort to regulate lead in paint in Thailand has been led by the Thai NGO, Ecological Alert and Recovery-Thailand (EARTH) as a part of IPEN’s Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project.
On January 29, 2016, Thailand issued compulsory legislation controlling the amount of lead and other heavy metals in enamel paints, effective January 2017. According to this national decree, all enamel paints used for construction and decorative purposes which are manufactured or sold in Thailand must meet more stringent requirement.
As the House and Senate work to reconcile their TSCA reform bills, this post from our partners at the Healthy Building Network reinforces the need to cut the Senate provision that makes it harder for EPA to intercept a dangerous chemical when it enters the U.S. as part of an imported product.
IPEN has released its first Global Lead Paint Elimination Campaign newletter, and it features information about a recent meeting held in Ethiopia where African leaders committed to set legal limits on lead in paint, as well as highlights from the 2015 International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. These highlights include activities from NGOs in Bangladesh, Belarus, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
Representatives of European Union (EU) countries will this week examine an application by Canadian-based Dominion Colour Corporation to continue to use lead pigments despite a ban from the European Chemicals Agency. Dominion has spent over 1 million Euros over the past three years to be exempted from an EU ban on two lead pigments used in paints, which was originally scheduled to come into effect in May 2015. Dominion states that its lead pigments are supposed to be used for industrial purposes.
“Other paint companies including the largest ones in Europe have already stopped using lead in paint and support the ban,” said Tatiana Santos of the European Environmental Bureau, “We are outraged that a Canadian company is single-handedly fighting to continue the use of lead pigments in paint.”
Dominion is one of the largest manufacturers of lead pigments in the world and has factories in Canada, Europe and other countries. At a February 3 and 4, 2016 meeting of the EU REACH Committee, representatives of EU countries will discuss Dominion's application.
“The biggest paint company in the world, AkzoNobel, stopped using lead in any of its products, including industrial paints, since 2011,” said Perry Gottesfeld, Executive Director of Occupational Knowledge International. “We urge the EU REACH Committee to deny Dominion's claims and act to protect public health.”
