Although lead content in paint has been restricted in the United States since 1978, University of Cincinnati (UC) environmental health researchers say in major countries from three continents there is still widespread failure to acknowledge its danger and companies continue to sell consumer paints that contain dangerous levels of lead.
In a new study, Scott Clark, PhD, and his team have found that approximately 73 percent of consumer paint brands tested from 12 countries representing 46 percent of the world’s population exceeded current U.S. standard of 600 parts per million (ppm) for lead in paint. In addition, 69 per cent of the brands had at least one sample exceeding 10,000 ppm. With the majority of American consumer goods being produced overseas, Clark says that lead paint exposure remains a serious global health threat.
“Although lead poisoning of children is widely recognised as a major public health problem, too little attention is being given to correcting the problem in many parts of the world,” says Clark. “Meanwhile, thousands of children continue to be poisoned by the metal, setting them up for life-threatening problems later in life.
“Our studies have shown that when comparing the prices of the same size can of paint produced by several companies within India with a wide range of lead concentrations, there is no significant consumer price difference between leaded and unleaded consumer paint,” says Clark.
Their research showed that one large multi-national company produced low lead paint in each of the countries where it was sampled and another company was found to have stopped using lead in paints in one country during the course of our study.
“These two observations document the fact that the technology is available so that manufacturers do not need to use lead to produce high-quality paint,” adds Clark.
“There is no legitimate reason paint manufacturers - particularly the large, multinational companies we analysed with more depth in the current study - should knowingly distribute a product that has long been known to be dangerous to people.”
Clark says calls for a global ban on the use of lead in paints - such as the one in made in his 2006 paper - appear to be having some impact. In May of 2009, a United Nations-sponsored international forum passed a resolution to establish a global partnership to achieve such a goal.
In a new study, Scott Clark, PhD, and his team have found that approximately 73 percent of consumer paint brands tested from 12 countries representing 46 percent of the world’s population exceeded current U.S. standard of 600 parts per million (ppm) for lead in paint. In addition, 69 per cent of the brands had at least one sample exceeding 10,000 ppm. With the majority of American consumer goods being produced overseas, Clark says that lead paint exposure remains a serious global health threat.
“Although lead poisoning of children is widely recognised as a major public health problem, too little attention is being given to correcting the problem in many parts of the world,” says Clark. “Meanwhile, thousands of children continue to be poisoned by the metal, setting them up for life-threatening problems later in life.
“Our studies have shown that when comparing the prices of the same size can of paint produced by several companies within India with a wide range of lead concentrations, there is no significant consumer price difference between leaded and unleaded consumer paint,” says Clark.
Their research showed that one large multi-national company produced low lead paint in each of the countries where it was sampled and another company was found to have stopped using lead in paints in one country during the course of our study.
“These two observations document the fact that the technology is available so that manufacturers do not need to use lead to produce high-quality paint,” adds Clark.
“There is no legitimate reason paint manufacturers - particularly the large, multinational companies we analysed with more depth in the current study - should knowingly distribute a product that has long been known to be dangerous to people.”
Clark says calls for a global ban on the use of lead in paints - such as the one in made in his 2006 paper - appear to be having some impact. In May of 2009, a United Nations-sponsored international forum passed a resolution to establish a global partnership to achieve such a goal.
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