Killer on your walls
Study finds high level of lead in many brands of
wallpaints sold in the market:
By Dhaneshi Yatawara
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The established
maximum permissible levels of total lead for
different paint
categories :- |
| [Mandatory standards]
On a Supreme Court judgment for a case filed by the CEJ requesting
mandatory standards, the CAA gazetted the regulation to keep the lead
levels below 600 ppm - Gazzette Extraordinary number 1725/30 dated
September 30, 2011. The mandatory standards was effective from January
1, 2013. The CAA published another gazette on the label standards with
the statement "The Consumer Affairs Authority Directs all manufacturers
and traders of paints used in the building industry that they shall
print legibly the total content of Lead in paint in mg/ kg on the packs
of containers of paints..." (Gazette Extra Ordinary No. 1875/38 on 15th
of August 2014, to take effect from September 1st, 2014)
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| [Highly toxic]
When Lead, was scientifically found highly toxic to humans, many
regulations were implemented, in the developed world, to mitigate the
health hazard.
Whether inhaled or swallowed, lead is poisonous to animals and
humans, damaging the nervous system and causing brain disorders. It is a
neurotoxin that gets accumulated in soft tissues and bones of animals.
Lead caused mental retardation is recognised by the World Health
Organisation as a disease based on evidence of reduced intelligence
caused by exposure to lead during the childhood - specially below six
years of age. WHO have also listed it as one of the top ten diseases
whose health burden among children due to modifiable environmental
factors. |
That fresh coat of paint on your wall may make the room look pretty.
But the lead levels camouflaged in the pretty colours could prove
hazardous, even fatal.
A recent research done by environmental scientists of Sri Lanka
revealed that a significant number of paint manufacturers in the country
still produce enamel paint with high concentrations of lead - far above
the standard level. Both small and medium as well as major manufacturers
were among the culprits.
The fact remains that despite the pledge made by the Consumer Affairs
Authority (CAA), to pull paint brands off the shelves, manufacturers
continue to flout regulations and the market with these 'forbidden'
paints.
The report based on a research done in 2014 - 2015 titled 'The
National Report 2015 on lead in new household enamel paints in Sri
Lanka' revealed that normal enamel paint in the market contains a
horrendous amounts of lead -44,000 ppm in dry weight. Even certain paint
brands that claimed to be 'lead safe' contains 969 ppm lead.
If the manufacturers use over 600 Parts Per Million (ppm) lead in dry
weight in their paint brands contravening CAA regulations, legal action
can be taken and the product can be removed from the market.
The report was published by the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ)
based on the 'Asian Lead- Paint Elimination project' of the
International Positive Education Network (IPEN) funded by the European
Union. It confirmed that paints with high lead concentrations are still
sold in the Sri Lankan market.
The revelation was disturbing as the lead content was far above,
despite legislation passed by the CAA in 2013. "Among the analysed
paint, a paint from a brand labelled 'lead free' contained more than 600
ppm lead," said Hemantha Withanage, the Executive Director of Centre for
Environmental justice.
Not so 'Lead safe'
On a positive note, the research showed improvement in the market in
adhering to the CAA imposed regulations. According to Withanage, they
were able to observe that seven out of eight paints they sampled had
lowered the lead concentration below 600 ppm. "Yet, in contrary, some
paints with 'lead safe' labels or advertised as 'free from hazardous
heavy metals' exceeded legal limits from the market," he added.
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Hemantha Withanage |
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shutterstcok.com |
"It is unfortunate that while most paint manufacturers produce lead-
free paint for the international market, they still produce leaded
paints for the local market," said Withanage, explaining the grave
injustice the local consumers are unknowingly facing.
The current standard for household paints in the US and Canada is 90
ppm in dry weight. Most industrialised countries of the world adopted
laws or regulations to control the lead content of decorative paints
since the 1970s.
In the European Union, lead is prohibited in the production of
decorative paint and specific regulations are in place prohibiting most
raw materials with lead. The 2014-15 research, according to Withanage,
analysed 56 cans of solvent-based enamel decorative paint from 33
manufacturers which were purchased from stores in Colombo, Kandy, Galle,
Matara, Kurunegala, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Kalutara, Ampara, Vavuniya,
Puttalam, Tambuththegama, Mahawa, Ratnapura, Pelmadulla, Kahawatta, Weli
Oya and Wellawaya areas.
Rs 15 billion market
 The 2014 - 2015 study was the third time that CEJ analyzed paints
sold in Sri Lanka for their lead content, according to Withanage.
The Sri Lankan researchers selected paints that had a lead content
above 90 ppm in the study and those that were not analysed previously.
"All paints were analyzed by an accredited laboratory in Europe for
their total lead content, based on dry weight of the paint," explained
Withanage.
There are over 70 paint manufacturers in the country, which includes
six major players who controls 97% of the market. All paint
manufacturers totally depend on imported raw material. Per year, nearly
30 - 35 million litres of paint worth approximately Rs. 15 billion is
sold in the market. Decorative paint contribute to 85% of the total
market. Seasonal sales turn up on December and March when paint volumes
double, compared to an average month.
 Consumers need to essentially know a method to safely remove the
already applied old lead paint when applying the new lead free paint,
Withanage said, mentioning another aspect essential in the
transformation. Withanage stressed that despite all these efforts if
regular monitoring is not done, the possible issue cannot be mitigated
effectively. He added that third party certification could be a
long-term solution to ensure paints are free from lead.
"Health and environmental authorities and the civil society
organization have to play this role vigorously to protect people,
especially our children from lead poisoning," he emphasised.
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