IPEN worked with members of Rotary International to bring the story of lead paint to participants in Rotary’s South Asia Literacy Summit held in Pune, India in early February 2015. Dr. Deepak Purohit, Rotary Past District Governor, organized a booth on lead in paint. He also set up meetings with leading Rotarians and a delegation – Satish Sinha, Toxics Link; Leslie Onyon, World Health Organization; and Dr. Archana Patel, International Pediatric Association – who travelled to Pune for the event.
In a joint study by the Department of Environmental Health in Cincinnati, IPEN, Eco-Accord, ALTER VIDA, and Indy Act, lead concentrations in new enamel decorative paints were determined in three countries in different areas of the world where data were not previously available.
The Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project Partner Newsletter for January, 2015 is now available, and contains news about the new, mandatory 90 ppm standard that was established in Nepal at the end of December, 2014. Additionally, the newsletter comments on the launch of the new IPEN African Lead Paint Elimination Project. The Project will take place in four African countries – Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Tanzania.
Bangladesh Paint Manufacturers' Association (BPMA) has demanded an immediate ban on the import of lead pigments and dryer, which will encourage the medium and small manufacturers to begin producing lead-free paints. BPMA Secretary Md Shamsuzzaman also welcomed the collaborative initiative of green activist group - Environmental and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) and IPEN.
Civil society representatives from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand have agreed to a declaration that calls to end the use of mercury in amalgam fillings in dental care in Asia.
