Global Phase Out of Lead-Containing Paints by 2020 Supported by International Chemical Safety Group
(Gothenburg, Sweden) More than 80 organizations from all regions of the world are engaging this week in lead paint elimination activities as a part of International Lead Poisoning Week of Action, co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The activities follow and celebrate a historic decision at the end of September by governments from around the world in support of a global phase out of lead paint by 2020.
“It’s essential for our society to respond to this global challenge and make the phase out of lead paint a top public health priority. We must act with urgency as the health of our children can be permanently and irreversibly damaged even at very low exposures to lead. Safe, cost-effective alternatives to lead in paint have been in use for more than 40 years in the United States, the European Union and other high income countries. There is no good reason that lead paint continues to be sold,” said Dr. Sara Brosché, International Lead Paint Elimination Project Manager at IPEN, a global civil society network pursuing safe chemicals policies and practices.
IPEN’s Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project was developed to eliminate lead in paint in seven Asian countries: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project is one part of a larger campaign to eliminate lead paint worldwide. In 2007 and 2008, NGOs in IPEN’s network collected and analyzed decorative (home use) paints on the market in 11 developing countries, and in countries with economies in transition. The results were startling. In every one of these countries, many of the solvent-based, decorative enamel paints contained dangerously high lead levels. In response, IPEN launched a worldwide lead paint elimination campaign. Since then, IPEN-affiliated NGOs and others have sampled and analyzed paints on the market in approximately 40 low- and middle-income countries.
This report tells the story of how seven Asian countries succeeded in reducing lead levels in paint in their countries and highlights the project accomplishments in each country. Read it here.
IPEN’s Citizens’ Report details the implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) by IPEN Participating Organizations between 2012 and 2015. More than 120 IPEN Participating Organizations actively executed more than 500 activities in 65 countries in all UN regions to work towards implementing all five objectives of the SAICM Overarching Policy Strategy and 228 of the 299 items in the Global Plan of Action.
The final Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project Partner Newsletter is now available, and contains news about the Project achievements, such as: one of the strictest lead paint standards in the world in Nepal, 90% of the market meeting the mandatory 600 ppm standard in Sri Lanka, third party paint certification program developed in India, and a world class lead paint regulation in the Philippines, amongst others.
National Environment Management Council (NEMC) says the government has no strategies to eliminate lead poisoning in paint, the number one environmental health concern for children globally.
At present there is the general plan addressing all chemical hazards which are harmful to human beings, NEMC’s Director General Boneventure Baya told The Guardian on Sunday this week
