Berkeley, U.S./Gothenburg, Sweden — Despite bans on lead in household paint in most Western countries, a new study from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) finds that the majority of paints tested in nine, geographically diverse, developing and transition countries would not met regulatory standards established in most highly industrialized countries and, in some cases, contain astonishingly high and dangerous levels of lead. New data from seven Asian countries reveals similar results, but also show that paint companies with the largest market share in those countries have largely shifted to unleaded products in recent years.
This study from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IPEN finds that the majority of paints tested in nine, geographically diverse, developing and transition countries would not met regulatory standards established in most highly industrialized countries and, in some cases, contain astonishingly high and dangerous levels of lead. Data from seven Asian countries reveals similar results, but also show that paint companies with the largest market share in those countries have largely shifted to unleaded products in recent years.
In October, 2013, IPEN adopted its "Minamata Declaration on Toxic Metals." Along with IPEN's "Stockholm Declaration," which was developed in relation to IPEN's work on the Stockholm Convention on POPs, and its "Dubai Declaration for a Toxics-Free Future," which was developed in relation to IPEN's work on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), IPEN's "Minamata Declaration on Toxic Metals" was spurred on by IPEN's f
