As the world marks the twelfth International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, the spotlight is on eliminating lead from paints

The world is observing the twelfth International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) from October 20-26, 2024. This year’s theme, “Bright Futures Begin Lead-Free”, echoes the grave danger that the presence of lead in paints has on the environment and human health, and more specifically on children.  

Lead, a potent neurotoxin, has long been recognised as a serious public health threat, particularly to children, and pregnant and lactating women. Exposure to lead can cause irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system, leading to cognitive impairment, learning disabilities and developmental delays. It negatively affects children’s intellectual ability, attention span and academic performance.

Further lead exposure can have a huge bearing on the economy of the nation. According to a study, childhood lead exposure in low- and middle-income countries resulted in economic losses amounting to $977 billion annually, representing 1.2 per cent of the global GDP in 2011. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is no known safe level of lead exposure in the human body. The UN agency has classified lead as one of the top ten chemicals of primary public health concern.

Efforts are being made globally and nationally to phase out lead from different sources, as it directly and indirectly, harms human health.

The phase-out of lead from gasoline has been a remarkable success, but lead in paints remains a key source of lead poisoning, and more so in developing and the least developing countries. Nevertheless, lead-based paint is a common source of lead poisoning in children.

They ingest and inhale lead particles even when they are in the safe confines of their homes. Lead paints are more harmful when they deteriorate, releasing dust and flakes that contaminate indoor environments and pose a direct risk to human health, particularly to children.

Many countries have introduced regulations to control or ban the use of lead in paints, but it is still a problem in low- and middle-income countries where such regulations are either absent or poorly enforced. The continued sale and use of lead paint in over 100 countries without binding legal limits, exacerbates the threat. India has restricted the use of lead up to 90 PPM in household and decorative paints through a regulation, but challenges in implementing the regulations in small and medium-scale industries, persist.

The Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, formed by WHO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2009, aims to phase out lead from paints worldwide by 2025. However, considering the current pace of developments, that seems far from being achieved if the movement is not accelerated. This year’s theme “Bright future begins lead-free”, can perhaps be catalysed as an action-oriented approach to eliminate lead from paints. There is only a year to go, so all stakeholders including government, industries, and civil society must join hands in this global effort to eliminate lead from paints and keep the future generation safe.

The author is a Senior Programme Coordinator (Chemical and Health) with Toxics Link; views are personal