Post on 24-Mar-2018
transcript
Global lead Paint elimination by 2020:a test of the effectiveness of the strateGic aPProach
to international chemicals manaGement
Jack WeinbergiPen senior Policy advisor
dr. scott clarkiPen Public health advisor for lead Paint
Professor emeritus, environmental health
University of cincinnati
a toxics-free future
list of acronymsANOR CameroonAgencyofStandardandQuality
BLL BloodLeadLevel
CCO ChemicalControlOrder
CDC U.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
FAO UnitedNationsFoodandAgricultural
Organization
GAELP GlobalAlliancetoEliminateLeadPaint:A
partnershipoftheUnitedNationsEnvironment
ProgramandtheWorldHealthOrganization
ICCM InternationalConferenceon
ChemicalsManagement
IPEN Aglobalnetworkofnon-governmental
organizationsworkingtoestablishandimplement
safechemicalspoliciesandpracticesthatprotect
humanhealthandtheenvironment(formerly
InternationalPOPsEliminationNetwork)
IPPIC InternationalPaintandPrintersInkCouncil
IQ Intelligencequotient
μg/dL Microgramsofleadperdeciliterofblood
mg/kg Milligramsperkilogram(partspermillion)
NGO Non-governmentalorganization
Pb Chemicalsymbolforlead
PCFV PartnershipforCleanFuelsandVehicles
ppm Partspermillion
PTWI Provisionaltolerableweeklyintake
REACH Registration,Evaluation,Authorizationand
RestrictionofChemicalSubstances:The
EuropeanCommunityRegulationonchemicals
andtheirsafeuse
SAICM StrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicals
Management
TPMA ThaiPaintManufacturersAssociation
UNEP UnitedNationsEnvironmentalProgram
WHO WorldHealthOrganization
table of contents
Foreword .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
IntroductIon .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lead .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
HeaLtH eFFects oF Lead exposure .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Lead paInt and tHe sound ManageMent oF cHeMIcaLs .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
progress .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Lead paInt eLIMInatIon strategIes .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.
concLusIons .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
iPenIPENisaleadingglobalorganizationworkingtoestablishandimplementsafechemicalspoliciesandpracticesthatprotecthumanhealthandtheenvironmentaroundtheworld.IPEN’smissionisatoxics-freefutureforall.
IPENbringstogetherleadingpublicinterestgroupsworkingonenvironmentalandpublichealthissuesindevelopingcountriesandcountriesintransition.Ithelpsbuildthecapacityofitsmemberorganizationstoimplementon-the-groundactivities,learnfromeachother’swork,andworkattheinternationalleveltosetprioritiesandachievenewpolicies.
IPEN’sglobalnetworkiscomprisedofmorethan700public-interestorganizationsin116countries.Workingintheinternationalpolicyarenaandindevelopingcountries,withinternationalofficesintheUSandinSweden,IPENiscoordinatedviaeightIPENRegionalOfficesinAfrica,Asia,Central/EasternEurope,LatinAmerica,andtheMiddleEast.
1 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Thisreportongloballeadpainteliminationwaspreparedbytheglobalnon-governmentalorganization(NGO)network,IPEN,fordistributionatthethirdmeetingoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM3)takingplaceinNairobi,Kenya,September17-21,2012.Itmakesthecasethatleadpaintsarestillwidelymanufactured,soldandusedindevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransitionforapplicationslikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure,andthattheeliminationofsuchpaintsshouldbeconsideredaglobalpriorityobjectivefortheSoundManagementofChemicals.
Thereportarguesthattheglobaleliminationofallmanufactureandsaleofleaddecorativepaintsincountriesofallregionsby2020isanachievableobjective,andisoneagainstwhichboththeGlobalAlliancetoEliminateLeadPaintandtheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagementcanandshouldbeevaluated.
Thereportwasco-authoredforIPENbyJackWeinberg,IPENSeniorPolicyAdvisor,andDr.ScottClark,IPENPublicHealthAdvisorforLeadPaintandProfessorEmeritus,EnvironmentalHealth,UniversityofCincinnati.ReviewandsuggestionswereprovidedbyPerryGottesfeld,ExecutiveDirector,OccupationalKnowledgeInternationalandValerieDenney,IPENLeadCommunicationsAdvisor.
IPENthanksthenumerousdonorsthatsupportitsworkonleadpaintelimination.TheseincludetheEuropeanUnion’sSWITCH-AsiaProgram,whichgrantedIPEN€1.4milliontosupportNGOleadpainteliminationactivitiesbyIPENpartnerorganizationsinsevenAsiancounties;thegovernmentsofSwedenandSwitzerland;theUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme;theSwedishSocietyfortheConservationofNature;severalcharitablefoundations;andothers.Thecontentofthisreport,however,reflectstheviewsofthereport’sauthorsandIPENandnotnecessarilythoseofIPEN’sdonors.
August28,2012JackWeinbergDr.ScottClark
foreWord
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 2
Beginninginthe1970sand1980s,mosthighlyindustrialcountriesadoptedlawsorregulationstocontrolleadpaints.Mostbannedthemanufacture,sale,anduseofleaddecorativepaints–thepaintsusedontheinteriorsandexteriorsofhomes,schools,andcommercialbuildings.Mosthighlyindustrialcountriesalsoimposedcontrolsonotherleadpaints,especiallypaintsandcoatingsusedintheapplicationsmostlikelytocontributetoleadexposureinchildren.Theseregulatoryactionsweretakenbasedonscientificandmedicalfindingsthatleadpaintisamajorsourceofleadexposureinchildrenandthatleadexposureinchildrencausesseriousharm,especiallytochildren’sdevelopingbrainsandnervoussystems.
Inthoseyears,mostdevelopingcountrieshadveryweakchemicalsmanagementcapabilities.Also,muchlesspaintwasmanufacturedandsoldinthedevelopingworldatthattimecomparedtotoday.Asaresult,fewdevelopingcountriesadoptedtheirownlawsorregulationstocontrolleadpaint.Nevertheless,untilrecently,itwaswidelyassumedthatpaintmanufacturingcompanieshad,ontheirowninitiative,discontinuedaddingleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundstothehouseholdpaintstheyproduceforsaleinallcountriesoftheworld.
Largepaintcompaniesarecertainlyawarethatleadpaintharmschildren.TransnationalcompaniesthatalsoproducepaintsforsaleinWesternEurope,NorthAmerica,andotherhighlyindustrialcountriesdonotaddleadcompoundstothepaintsthattheysellinthosemarkets.Largernationalcompaniesproducingpaintsonlyforsaleinthedevelopingworldalsohavefullaccesstoalltheinformationthattheywouldneedtorecognizethehazardsassociatedwithleadpaintandtoproducehighqualitynon-leadpaintsthattheycouldsellatcompetitiveprices.Basedonfundamentalprinciplesofbrandstewardship,itwaslogicaltoassumethatthelargerpaintmanufacturingcompanies,atleast,wouldhavediscontinuedaddingleadtothehouseholdpaintsthattheysellinallmarketsiffornootherreasonthantoprotecttheirbrands’reputations.However,ithasnothappenedthatway.
In1999and2003,academicresearchersreportedhighlevelsofleadinmajorbrandsofdecorativepaintsbeingsoldonthemarketinIndiaandsomeothercountriesinAsia.Then,startingin2007,NGOsassociatedwithIPEN–theglobalnetworkoforganizationsworkingtoprotecthumanhealthandtheenvironmentfromharmscausedbytoxicchemicalexposure–begantopurchaseandtesttheleadcontentofpaintsforsaleinthedevelopingworld.Todate,academic
expertsassociatedwithIPENandothershavetestedsamplesofdecorativepaintsbeingsoldinapproximately25developingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Inalmostallcases,thewater-baseddecorativepaints(sometimescalledlatex,acrylic,orplasticpaints)didnotcontainhazardousleadadditives.However,ineverysinglecountrywheretestingwasdoneandwherenonationallaworregulationprohibitedit,themajorityoftheoil-based(enamel)decorativepaintsforsaleonthemarketcontaineddangerouslevelsoflead.Andinvirtuallyallcases,theconsumerhadnowaytotellwhichoftheenamelpaintscontainedaddedleadandwhichdidnot.
BasedontheeffortsofIPENandothers,aresolutionwasintroducedandadoptedatthe2009secondmeetingoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM2)thatidentifiedleadinpaintasanemergingpolicyissueandinvitedtheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme(UNEP)andtheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)toestablishaglobalpartnershiptopromotephasingouttheuseofleadinpaintsandserveasitssecretariat.1UNEPandWHOagreedandjointlyinitiatedthispartnershipunderthenameGlobalAlliancetoEliminateLeadPaint(GAELP).2GAELP’sbroadobjectiveistophaseoutthemanufactureandsaleofpaintscontainingleadandeventuallytoeliminatetherisksfromsuchpaint.3
1 ICCM2omnibusresolutionII/4onemergingpolicyissues,http://www.saicm.org/documents/iccm/ICCM2/emerging%20issues/ICCM2%20Outcomes/Emerging%20issues/Omnibus%20resolution%20II_4.doc
2 GAELPHomepage,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/LeadCad-mium/PrioritiesforAction/GAELP/tabid/6176/Default.aspx
3 SeeGAELPObjectives,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Lead-Cadmium/PrioritiesforAction/GAELP/GAELPObjectives/tabid/6331/De-fault.aspx
introdUction
the Global elimination of all manUfactUre
and Use of lead decorative Paints in
coUntries of all reGions by the year 2020
is an achievable obJective aGainst Which
both the Global alliance to eliminate
lead Paint and the strateGic aPProach to
international chemicals manaGement can
and shoUld be evalUated.
3 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
GAELPdefinesthetermpainttoalsoincludevarnishes,lacquers,stains,enamels,glazes,primers,andcoatings.GAELP’sdefinitionofthetermlead paintstates:“Leadpaint”ispainttowhichoneormoreleadcompoundshavebeenadded.”4
Thisreportwillprovidebackgroundinformationthatmaybeofusetothosewhowishtoinitiateleadpainteliminationprograms,projects,orcampaignsintheirowncountries.Itwillreviewprogressthathasbeenmadesince2009.Itwillproposestrategiestoachieveglobaleliminationby2020ofleadedhouseholdpaintsandotherleadpaintsusedfortheapplicationsmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Itwillmakethecasethatsuccessorfailuretoachievegloballeadpainteliminationby2020shouldbeoneofthecriteriausedinevaluatingtheeffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement(SAICM).
4SeeGAELPOperationalFramework,March2011,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Lead_Cadmium/docs/GAELP/Final_opera-tional_framework_GAELP.pdf
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 4
LeadisametallicelementwhosechemicalsymbolisPbfromtheLatinwordplumbum.Itisaheavymetalthatisbluish-greyincolorwhenfreshlycut.Pureleadissoftandmalleable,butleadisalsooftencombinedwithothermetalstoformalloys.5Manychemicalcompoundscontainleadincludingleadoxides,leadsalts,andorganicleadcompounds.Metalliclead,leadalloys,andleadchemicalcompoundscontinuetobeusedformanypurposes.Leadinallitsformsishighlytoxic,especiallytoyoungchildren.
Lead as an envIronMentaL poLLutant
Leadwasoneofthefirstmetalsthatpeoplesmeltedandused.ArcheologistshavefoundleadobjectsandpigmentsdatingfromtheearlyBronzeAge.ExtensiveevidenceofancientleadminingandsmeltingexistsinbothAsiaandtheMediterraneanregion.6TheGreekphysician,Hippocrates,wholivedinthe4thcenturyBCE,alreadyaccuratelydescribedthesymptomsofleadpoisoning.7DuringGreco-Romantimes,syrupsandalcoholicbeverageswereoftencookedinvesselsthatcontainedlead.ThisresultedinwidespreadleadpoisoningamongtheaffluentandsomesuggestthiswasoneofthecausesofthedownfalloftheRomanEmpire.8Investigationsofhumanskeletalremainsindicatethattheleadbodyburdenofpeopletodayisbetween500and1,000timesgreaterthaninpre-industrialtimes.9Onceleadisintroducedintotheenvironment,itpersists.
Lead In autoMotIve FueLs
Oneofthelargestandmostharmfulhistoricalusesofleadwastheadditionoftetraethylleadtoautomotivefuelstoimproveengineperformance.Thispracticewaswidespreaduntilrecently,buthasnowbeenlargelyeliminated.Itended
5 TheUnifiedNumberingSystem(UNS)designationsforvariouspureleadgradesandlead-basealloys:pureleadsL50000-L50099;lead-silveralloysL50100-L50199;lead-arsenicalloysL50300-L50399;lead-bariumalloysL50500-L50599;lead-calciumalloysL50700-L50899;lead-cadmiumalloysL50900-L50999;lead-copperalloysL51100-L51199;lead-indiumalloysL51500-L51599;lead-lithiumalloysL51700-L51799;lead-antimonyalloysL52500-L53799;lead-tinalloysL54000-L55099;andlead-stron-tiumalloysL55200-L55299.Source:LeadandLeadAlloys,http://www.keytometals.com/Article10.htm
6Lead and Lead Poisoning from Antiquity to Modern Times,MiltonA.Lessler,OhioJ.Sci.88(3):78-84,1988,http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/han-dle/1811/23252/V088N3-078.pdf?sequence=1
7 Lead and Lead Poisoning from Antiquity to Modern Times,MiltonA.Lessler,OhioJ.Sci.88(3):78-84,1988,http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/han-
dle/1811/23252/V088N3-078.pdf?sequence=1
8 Lead and Lead Poisoning from Antiquity to Modern Times(citedabove).
9 Childhood Lead Poisoning;WorldHealthOrganization,2010,http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/leadguidance.pdf
inmosthighlyindustrialcountriesbythe1970s,butleadedautomotivefuelsremainedapredominantautomotivefuelinmostdevelopingcountriesuntil2002andbeyond.ThePartnershipforCleanFuelsandVehicles(PCFV)wasestablishedbytheUNEPin2002toeliminateleadedautomotivefuelwithparticipationfromgovernments,industrygroups,internationalorganizations,andcivilsociety.Thisinitiativewasasuccess.ByJanuary2012,leadedautomotivefuelswereeliminatedinallbutsixcountries.Leadedautomotivefuelsremainthepredominantautomotivefuelinonlythreecountries:Afghanistan,Myanmar,andNorthKorea.Itisstillavailableasanautomotivefuelinthreeadditionalcountries:Algeria,Iraq,andYemen.10
Lead uses today
Leadremainsinwidespreadusetoday.Inadditiontoleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundsusedinpaintsandglazes,othermajorcurrentusesofleadincludeleadstoragebatteries,leadpipes,leadsolder,leadammunition,andleadusedasastabilizerinvinyl(PVC)plastic.
Leadbatteriespresentlyaccountforapproximately80percentoftheleadthatisusedworldwide.Today,mostoftheleadinglobalcommerceisobtainedfromrecyclinglead-acidbatteries.Ninety-sevenpercentofleadbatteriesarereportedtoberecycled,includinginlow-incomecountrieswheretherecyclingtakesplacemostlyininformal,largelyuncontrolledsettings.11Globalconsumptionofleadisincreasingandisexpectedtoexceed10milliontonsperyear.Theprimaryreasonisthatdemandforleadbatteriesisgrowingrapidlyforuseinconventionalvehicles,hybridandelectricvehicles,backuppower,andcellphonetowers.Batteriesareamajorsourceofbothoccupationalandenvironmentalleadexposure,especiallyfrompoorlycontrolledbatteryrecyclingfacilities.12
10UNEPPartnershipforCleanFuelsandVehicles,http://www.unep.org/transport/pcfv/PDF/Maps_Matrices/world/lead/MapWorldLead_Janu-ary2012.pdf
11 Childhood Lead Poisoning,WorldHealthOrganization,2010,http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/leadguidance.pdf
12 Lead Battery Background,OccupationalKnowledgeInternational,http://www.okinternational.org/lead-batteries/Background
lead
lead in all its forms is hiGhly toxic,
esPecially to yoUnG children.
5 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Lead exposure sources
Environmentalleadpollutionofairandsoilscancauseacuteleadexposureincommunitiesnearminingareasandnearinadequatelycontrolledleadsmelting,refining,andrecyclingfacilities,includingbatteryrecyclingfacilities.Leadcontaminationisalsooftenalegacyofhistoricalcontaminationfromformerindustrialsites.Parentsworkinginlead-relatedindustriescanbringleadhomeontheirclothing–andthiscanexposetheirchildren.Forexample,onestudyfoundthatchildrenwhoseparentsareengagedinlead-relatedoccupationshavehigherbloodleadlevelsthantheirschoolmatesofthesameage.13
Leadcanbepresentintoys,cosmetics,andotherproducts.IthasbeenreportedthatinChina,childrenwhohabituallychewonpencilsoftenhavehighbloodleadlevelsbecausethepaintusedinthemanufactureofthepencilscontainedlead.14Leadexposurecanoccurfromeatingfoodscontaminatedwithlead,althoughcircumstancesvarygreatlyfromcountrytocountryandfromregiontoregion.Insomecountries,
13 Lead poisoning in Chinese children: risk factors and preventive measures,Yao-HuaDaiandZhao-YangFan,WorldJournalofPediatrics,May2007,http://www.wjpch.com/UploadFile/001.pdf
14same
popcornmaybeanimportantsourceofchildhoodleadexposurebecausesomepopcornmachinesaremadefromaleadalloythatreleasesleadintothepopcorn.15Foodpreparedinutensilsthatcontainleadcanbeasignificantsourceofleadexposureinmanycountriesandregions.Soisfoodstoredorpreparedincansorutensilsthathavebeensolderedwithleadsolder.Eatingfromdinnerwaremadefrompewter(atinalloythatsometimescontainslead)orfromglazedceramicswhereleadpigmentswereusedcanalsocauseleadexposure.16InsomeAsiancountries,traditionalpreservedeggsaremadeusingleadoxideasafoodadditive.17Leadcanenterthefoodchainthroughcontaminatedsoils,anditalsohasbeenreportedthatleadissometimespresentinherbalandtraditionalmedicinesandfolkremedies.18
Othermajorsourcesofexposuretoleadincludeincinerationoflead-containingwaste,burningpaintedmaterialsinfireplacesorcookstoves,processingelectronicwaste(e-waste),anddrinkingwaterfromwatersystemsthatuseleadpipesorleadsolder.
15same
16 Childhood Lead Poisoning,WorldHealthOrganization,2010,http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/leadguidance.pdf
17 Lead poisoning in Chinese children
18 Childhood Lead Poisoning,WorldHealthOrganization,2010,http://www.who.int/ceh/publications/leadguidance.pdf
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 6
Leadpaintisoneofmanyserioussourcesofchildhoodleadexposure.Followingthesuccessesinremovingleadadditivesfromtheautomotivefuelssoldinalmostallcountries,leadpaintshavereplacedleadedfuelsasthesourceofsignificantchildhoodleadexposurethataffectsthelargestnumberoftheworld’schildren.Andwiththerisingmiddleclassandtheveryrapidgrowthofpaintsalesforhomeusesinmostdevelopingcountries,exposurefromleadpaintswillcontinuetogrowunlessmeaningfulcontrolmeasuresaretaken.
Leadpaintanditstoxicityreceivedrecentworldwidenewsmediaattentionin2007whenitwaswidelyreportedthatmanywoodentoysexportedfromAsiatoWesternEurope,NorthAmerica,andotherhighlyindustrialcountrieswerecoatedwithleadpaintandwerethereforehazardoustochildren.Manybrandholdersandvendorsrecalledthesetoys,andthegovernmentsofmanytoyimportingandexportingcountriesputcontrolsinplacetopreventreoccurrence.Muchlessattentionwasgivenatthetimetoleadpaintsmanufacturedfordomesticconsumptioninthedevelopingworld.
NGOsassociatedwiththeIPENnetwork,however,didrespondtothenewsreportsandbegantoinvestigatewhetherdecorative(household)andotherpaintsforsaleontheirnationalmarketscontainedlead.Between2007and2009,theseNGOstestedpaintsonthemarketin11developingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Theresultswerepresentedina2009reportLead in New Decorative Paints,19whichfoundthatinallcountrieswheretestingwascarriedout,manyoftheoil-based(enamel)decorativepaintsonthemarkethadhazardousleadcontent.Another2009publicationrevealedsimilarfindingsinnineadditionalcountriesaswellasinthreeofthecountriescoveredbytheNGOreport.20Basedonthesestudiesandmorerecenttesting,itappearsthatleadedenameldecorativepaintsarewidelyavailableforsaleonthemarketinvirtuallyallcountriesthatdonothaveaneffectivelyenforcednationallaworbindingregulationthatprohibitsthemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofthesepaints.
Thecontinuinguseofleadcompoundsintheformulationofdecorativepaintsprovidesverylittle,ifany,benefittothepaint
19http://www.ipen.org/ipenweb/documents/work%20documents/global_paintstudy.pdf
20Clark,C.S.,Rampal,K.G.,Thuppil,V.,Roda,S.M.,Succop,P.,Menrath,W.,Chen,C.K.,Adebamowo,E.O.,Agbede,O.A.,Sridhar,M.K.C.,Adebamo-wo,C.A.,Zakaria,Y.,El-Safty,A.,Shinde,R.M.,andYu,J.(2009)Leadlev-elsinnewenamelhouseholdpaintsfromAsia,AfricaandSouthAmerica,EnvironmentalResearch109:930-936.Anearlierversionofthisstudywaspublishedin2006.ClarkCS,RampalK,ThuppilV,ChenC,ClarkR,RodaS(2006)TheleadcontentofcurrentlyavailablenewresidentialpaintinseveralAsiancountries,EnvironmentalResearch102:9-12.
manufacturerorconsumer.Non-toxicorlesstoxicsubstitutesforleadpigments,leaddryers,andotherleadcompoundsthatmaybeusedinpaintshavebeenwell-knownforahalf-centuryandlonger.Whenthesesubstitutesareused,thedifferencesinthepaint’scost,color,performance,andqualityaremarginalatbest.Ontheotherhand,theharmstochildrenandtosocietyasawholethatareassociatedwithleadpaint-relatedchildhoodleadexposureisverygreatandhasbeenwell-studiedandwell-documented.Thereis,therefore,novalidjustificationforanypaintcompanytocontinueusingleadcompoundsintheformulationofthedecorativepaintsthattheyproduceandsellanywhereintheworld.
Thechallengesassociatedwithreplacingleadcompoundswithlesshazardoussubstitutesintheformulationofpaintsandcoatingsforuseinanyandallapplicationsaremodestatbest.Becauseoftheseriousandwidespreadharmsassociatedwithleadexposure,allnon-essentialusesoflead–includingallleadpaints—shouldbephasedoutandeliminatedasrapidlyaspractical.
wHat Is Lead paInt?
Thetermpaintisusedtoalsoincludevarnishes,lacquers,stains,enamels,glazes,primers,andcoatings.Paintistypicallyaformulatedmixtureofresins,pigments,fillers,solvents,andotheradditives.Thetermlead paintisdefinedaspainttowhichoneormoreleadcompoundshavebeenadded.21
Leadcompoundsmaybeaddedtopaintforanumberofpurposesincluding:
• Pigments Certainleadcompoundshavelongbeenusedaspigmentstogivepaintstheircolor.Theseincludelead
chromates,leadoxides,leadmolybdates,andleadsulfates.• drying agents and catalysts Certainleadcompounds
aresometimesaddedtooil-based(enamel)paintstomakethepaintdryfasterandmoreevenlyand/ortopromotetheuniformpolymerization ofthedryingoilsandresins.Thesemayincludeleadnaphthenate,leadacetate,andleadoctoate.
21SeeGAELPOperational Framework,March2011,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Lead_Cadmium/docs/GAELP/Final_op-erational_framework_GAELP.pdf
lead Paint
lead Paints have noW likely rePlaced
leaded fUels as the soUrce of
siGnificant childhood lead exPosUre
that affects the larGest nUmber of
the World’s children.
7 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
• corrosion resistance agents Leadoxidesandotherleadcompoundsaresometimesaddedtopaintsthatareusedonmetalsurfacestoinhibitrustorcorrosionandtoincreasedurability.Oneofthemostcommonoftheseisleadtetroxide,whichisalsocalledred leadorminium.
• Unintentional ingredients Tracequantitiesofleadmaysometimesbepresentinthefillersandotherearth-basedingredientsthatareusedinpaintformulation.Theleadcompoundisnotintentionallyaddedtothepaintformulationforafunctionalpurposebutratherentersthepaintasanunwantedcontaminantinoneofitsingredients.
Pigmentsanddryingagentsthatdonotcontainleadareavailableandcanbesubstitutedforthosethatcontainlead.Corrosionresistantpaintsthatdonotcontainaddedleadcompoundsarealsoavailable.
Paintscanbeformulatedtocontainverylowconcentrationsoflead.Ifthemanufactureriscarefulintheselectionoftheirpaintingredients,andifthemanufacturerteststheingredientstoensuretheydonotcontainaddedleadcompoundsorexcessivelevelsofleadcontaminants,theleadcontentofthepaintisgenerallylessthan10partspermillionlead(dryweight).
Whenpaintistestedandisfoundtocontainmorethan90partspermillion(ppm)oflead(measuredasthetotalleadcontentofthedrypaintfilm),itcanbetakenasanindicatorthatoneormoreleadcompoundwasintentionallyusedinthepaint’sformulationforanintentionalandfunctionalpurpose(suchasapigmentordryingagent).
Lead decoratIve paInts
Decorativepaints(alsosometimescalledarchitecturalpaints,homepaints,orresidentialpaints)arepaintsthatareproducedtobeusedontheexteriorsofhomes,schools,commercialbuildings,andsimilarapplicationsandoninteriorsurfacessuchaswalls,ceilings,floors,doors,windowsandtrim.Thesepaintsarealsosometimesusedbytheconsumertorepaintoldfurniture,cribs,toys,andotherhouseholdproductsthatchildrenmaychewon.Leaddecorativepaintsarerecognizedasasignificantsourceofchildhoodleadexposure,andtheyhavebeenprioritizedbyGAELP,IPEN,andothersforelimination(alongwithotherpaintcategorieslikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure).
Newleaddecorativepaintsaregenerallynotanimportantsourceofleadexposurewhentheyarestillinthecanorwhentheyarebeingapplied.
However,surfacesthathavebeenpaintedwithleadpaintwill,overtime,age,weather,andchip.Asaresult,theleadthatwaspresentinthepaintaccumulatesinindoordustandoutdoorsoils.Childrenplayingindoorsoroutdoorsgetdustandsoilontheirhands,andtheningestitthroughtypicalhand-to-mouthbehavior.Thisisespeciallytrueforchildreninthesixyearsandunderagegroup,thegroupmosteasilyharmedbyexposuretolead.Paintchipscanbeespeciallyharmfulbecausetheirleadcontentcanbemuchhigherthanwhatistypicallyfoundindustandsoils.Insomecases,childrenmaydirectlychewonpaintedobjectsorpaintchips.
Childrenandworkersareespeciallyatriskwhensurfacesthatwerepaintedinthepastwithleadpaintarerepaintedordisturbedbyconstructionorotheractivities.Workmenmaysand,dryscrape,grind,orinotherwaysdisturbtheoldpaintedsurfaceandproducelargequantitiesofdustwithveryhighleadcontent.Painters,carpenters,andconstructionpersonnelshouldwearpropersafetyapparel;avoidsanding,dryscraping,orgrindingoldpaintedsurfacesthatmaycontainleadpaint;andtakecaretocontrolandcontainanydustordebristheymaycreate.Instructionalmaterialsandtrainingprogramshavebeenestablishedtoinstructthesepersonnelonproperwaystopreparesurfacesforrepainting.
Exposuretoleadfrompaintremainsaproblemformanydecadesaftertheleadpaintisappliedtoasurface;oldhomes,schools,andotherlocationsthatwerepaintedwithleadpaintaslongas50to75yearsagoormore,continuetobesourcesofleadexposureinchildren.Andonceasurfaceispaintedwithleadpaint,thecostsassociatedwithleadabatementcanbeveryhigh.Thismakesitallthemoreurgenttostopproducing,selling,andusingnewleadpaints,especiallyincountrieswherethesaleanduseofdecorativepaintsisrapidlygrowing.
Basedonthelimiteddataavailable,thewater-baseddecorativepaints(sometimescalledplasticpaintsorlatexpaints)thatarecurrentlysoldindevelopingcountries,withafewexceptions,donotgenerallyappeartocontainaddedleadcompounds.Ontheotherhand,oil-based(enamel)decorativepaintsfrequentlycontainhighconcentrationsoflead.Forexample,inasampleof232cansofenameldecorativepaintpurchasedin2008and2009in11regionallydiversedevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition,two-thirdshadleadconcentrationsgreaterthan600ppmoflead.Theaverageleadconcentrationofthesepaintswas23,707ppm.Onepaintsamplehadaleadconcentrationofmorethan500,000ppm.22
22ThefulldatasetcanbefoundinLead in New Decorative Paints,IPEN2009,http://www.ipen.org/ipenweb/documents/work%20documents/global_paintstudy.pdf
exPosUre to lead from Paint remains a
Problem for many decades after the lead
Paint is aPPlied to a sUrface.
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 8
Formosttestedpaintofasinglebrandandtype,thewhitepaintoftenhadtheleastlead;thebrightyellows,reds,andgreensoftenhadthehighestleadcontent.Itappearsthatwhiteleadpigmentsarenotnowcommonlyused,butthatleadpigmentsarestillcommonlyusedinthebrightlycoloredenamelpaints.
Insomecases,boththewhitepaintandthebrightlycoloredpaintsofaparticularbrandandtypebothwerefoundtocontainsubstantialamountsoflead,butwiththebrightlycoloredpaintshavingamuchhigherleadcontent.Thisisanindicatorthatthesebrandsandtypesofpaintmayuseleaddryingagentsorotheraddedleadcompoundsinadditiontousingleadpigmentsforthebrightcolors.
TheUnitedStatesbannedallleadpaintsforresidentialusein1978andmosthighlyindustrialcountrieshavealsobannedthesaleanduseofleaddecorativepaints.Itappearsthatatleastoneandpossiblymoreofthelargeinternationalpaintmanufacturingcompaniesmaynotaddleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundstothedecorativepaintstheysellinanymarket.Forexample,nomorethantraceorverylowleadcontenthasbeenfoundinanytesteddecorativepaintsbrandedDuluxorICI,bothsubsidiariesoftheworld’slargestmanufacturerofdecorativepaints,AkzoNobel.
otHer Lead paInts
Decorativepaintsarenottheonlycategoryofleadpaintthatislikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Significantleadexposureislikelytooccurwhenpaintsareusedascoatingsinthemanufactureoftoys,pencils,cribsandplaypens,furniture,andotherhouseholditems,especiallyoneschildrenmaychewon.Specializedrustandcorrosion-resistantpaintsforuseonmetalsurfacesareoftensoldforhomeuseandarealsooftenusedonschoolplaygroundequipmentandsimilarapplications.Theseareallapplicationsforwhichtheuseofleadpaintshouldbecontrolledandeliminated,andtheyshouldbeaddressedspecificallyinnationallaws,regulations,andproceduresadoptedwiththeaimofeliminatingleadpaintsmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodexposure.
Industrialpaintsgenerallyhavenotbeensubjecttostrictcontrolsontheirleadcontenteveninmosthighlyindustrialcountries.Leadindustrialpaintsareoftenusedascoatingsforautomobilesandmanyotherindustrialapplications;paintingbridgesandotherstructuralapplications;paintingyellowlinesonroads;andmanyotherpurposes.Insomecases,theseapplicationsarelesslikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposurethandecorativepaints.Nonetheless,thesepaintsstillrepresentasignificantleadhazardtoworkersand,insomecases,alsotochildren.Bridgesandstructurespaintedwithleadpaintaretypicallyscrapedandsandedbeforerepainting.Productsthatcontainleadedindustrialcoatingscreateleadhazardswhenrecycledor
incinerated.Invirtuallyeveryapplicationinwhichitisused,leadpaintrepresentsapotentialexposurehazardtoworkersandchildren.Substitutesforleadinindustrialpaintsandinpaintsforstructures,bridges,streetmarkingsandotheruseshavebeenavailableandwidelyusedformanyyears.
Inrecentyears,somecountrieshavebegunimposingbansandrestrictionsonleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundsusedinindustrialpaints–mostprominently,theEuropeanUnionasitprogressivelyimplementsREACH(theEuropeanCommunity’sregulationonchemicalsandtheirsafeuse).Inresponse,somepaintcompanieshavestartedtoeliminatetheuseofleadpigmentsintheirindustrialpaintsandsomepigmentmanufacturersareendingtheirproductionofleadpigments.InFebruary2012,BASF,oneoftheworld’slargestpigmentmakers,announcedthatitwouldstopproducingandsellingleadchromatepigmentsbytheendof2014.23DuPont,theworld’sleadingproducerofautomotivepaints,hasalreadyremovedleadpigmentsfromtheformulationofallthepaintsandcoatingsfornewpassengercars,anditannouncedinJune2012thatithasplanstodiscontinueaddingleadpigmentstoitsotherautomotivecoatings.DuPontstatedthatbytheendof2012,leadpigmentswillhavebeenremovedfromallitsautomotiverefinishpaintproductsandthatitisintheprocessofphasingouttheuseofleadpigmentsinallitscommercialvehiclecoatings.24InternationalPaint,themarinecoatingssubsidiaryofAkzoNobel,announcedinAugust2012thatithasbecome“thefirstproducerintheheavydutycoatingssectortocompletelyphaseoutoftheuseofleadchromates.”25Andevenwhereleadcompoundsinindustrialandpaintsarepermitted,theyarefallingintodisfavorduetocostsassociatedwithoccupationalhealthlawcomplianceandhazardouswasteliabilities.
Globalleadpainteliminationshouldincludephasingoutleadcompoundsfromallcategoriesofpaintsandcoatingsworldwidewithveryfew,ifany,exceptions.Theglobaleliminationofaddedleadcompoundsfromallindustrial,structural,andcertainothercategoriesofleadpaintmaypresentmorechallengesandrequiremoretimethanwilltheglobaleliminationofleaddecorativepaints.Nonetheless,thesechallengesarenotgreat,andthegoalofthetotalglobaleliminationofallleadpaintsisrealisticandcanbeachieved.
23BASFconcentratesonalternativestoleadchromatepigments,http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-12-160
24PressReleases,DuPontRefinishtodiscontinueleadedpigments,June2012,http://www.dupontrefinish.eu/portal/en?page=GU-1.3.1_Cur-rent_Press_Release&category=PressReleaseCategoryOne&catid=48&catid2=5256
25BeyondCompliance-ImprovingTheSustainabilityOfOurProductOffer,August82012,http://www.international-pc.com/resource-centre/news.aspx,http://www.international-pc.com/resource-centre/news/phasing-out-lead-chromates.aspx
9 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Exposuretoleadcausessignificantandwidespreadinjurytohumanhealth.Leadpoisoningsometimesisalsocalledleadintoxication,plumbism,orpainter’scolic.Of all toxic environmental pollutants, harms from lead exposure are probably better understood and better documented than the effects of any other toxic environmental pollutant.
Lead exposure and Its eFFects
Leadservesnousefulbiologicalfunctioninhumans,26andexposuretoleadcanaffectmanydifferentpartsofthehumanbody.Asinglehighdoseofleadcancauseseveresymptoms,althoughmostpeopleareaffectedfromcumulativeexposureovertime.Highleadexposuremaycausevomiting,staggeringwalk,muscleweakness,seizures,andcoma.Othersymptomsofleadexposurecanincludeabdominalpainandcramping(usuallythefirstsignofahigh,toxicdoseofleadpoisoning);aggressivebehavior;anemia;constipation;difficultysleeping;headaches;irritability,lossofpreviousdevelopmentalskills(inyoungchildren);lowappetiteandenergy;andreducedsensations.27Leadexposureisaparticularlyinsidioushazardsinceithasthepotentialforcausingirreversiblehealtheffectsbeforetheexposureisclinicallyrecognized.Theseeffectsincludehypertension,centralnervoussystemproblems,anemia,anddiminishedhearingacuity.28
Thetwomostcommonroutesofhumanleadexposurearerespiratory(breathingleadfumesorleaddustintothelungs)andgastrointestinal(ingestingleadthroughthemouthintothestomachandintestines).Therespiratoryrouteisthemostcommonrouteforoccupationalexposure;thegastrointestinalrouteisthepredominantrouteofchildhoodexposure.
Metallicleadandinorganicleadcompoundsarenoteasilyabsorbedthroughtheskin.Onceitisinthebody,leadisgenerallyexcretedslowlywithabiologicalhalf-liferangingupto30years.Sinceexcretionisslow,leadaccumulatesinthebody,primarilyinthebones.
Leadinthebodyisdistributedthoughthebloodstreamandreachesitshighestconcentrationsinbone,teeth,liver,lungs,kidneys,brain,andspleen.Leadinbloodhasanestimatedhalf-lifeof35days,insofttissue40daysandinbone20to30years.Mostabsorbedleadendsupinboneandisnotknowntocausedeleteriouseffectontheboneitself.Thelead,however,doesnotnecessarilyremaininthebones,
26http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0215/p719.html
27U.S.NationalLibraryofMedicine,fromtheU.S.NationalInstitutesofHealth,http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002473.htm)
28http://www.aafp.org/afp/1998/0215/p719.html(citedabove)
anditcanberemobilizedandcausecontinuedtoxicityafterexposureceases.29Theleadthathasaccumulatedinamother’sbones,whenmobilizedduringpregnancy,cancrosstheplacentaandreachthedevelopingfetus.
Whileacuteleadpoisoningisveryserious,repeatedexposuretosmallquantitiesofleadismorecommonandcancausedetrimentallifelongimpacts.Theeffectsofleadpoisoningbuildupslowlyovertime,andtheindividual’shealthproblemsgetworseasthelevelofleadinthebloodgetshigher.Andevenlowlevelsofleadexposurenoteasilyassociatedwithanyobvioussymptomscanstillharmachild’smentaldevelopment.30
Lead exposure In cHILdren
Untilthe20thcentury,leadpoisoningwasviewedalmostexclusivelyasanoccupationaldiseaseofworkersincertainindustries.Medicalpractitionersworkingwithchildrenfocusedalmostalloftheirattentiononthetreatmentandpreventionofinfectiousdiseases.Withrisingprosperityinhighlyindustrialcountriesintheearly20thcentury,however,muchofthepopulationbegantoreceivebetternutrition,cleanwater,functioningsewagesystems,andaccesstohealthcare.Asaresult,deathsanddisabilitiescausedbyinfectiousagentsstartedtodeclineandhealthworkersbegantoreconsiderthedominantparadigmthatautomaticallyassumedinfectiousagentswerethecauseofallthechildhooddiseasestheyobserved.31
Startingintheearly1900’s,publishedreportslinkedleadpaintexposuretochildhoodleadpoisoning.Bythe1920s,manyarticlesonchildhoodleadpoisoningbegantoappearinthemedicalandpublichealthliterature.Thesearticlesdocumentedthatconvulsions,mentalretardation,andsomeotherdiseasesofinfancyandchildhoodthatpreviouslyhadbeenascribedtoinfectiouscauseswereactuallysymptomsofleadpoisoning.The1926articleLeadPoisoninginChildren,whichappearedintheAmericanJournalofDiseasesofChildren,concludedthatleadpoisoningwasarelativelyfrequentoccurrenceinchildrenandwasusuallyassociatedwiththeingestionofleadpaint.32
29same
30U.S.NationalLibraryofMedicine,fromtheU.S.NationalInstitutesofHealthcitedabove
31 Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution,GeraldMar-kowitzandDavidRosner,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2003
32 Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution,GeraldMar-kowitzandDavidRosner,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,2003
health effects of lead exPosUre
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 10
Leadismuchmoreharmfultochildrenthanadults,andthehealtheffectsaregenerallyirreversibleandcanhavealifelongimpact.Theyoungerthechild,themoreharmfulleadcanbe.Thehumanfetusisthemostvulnerable.
Childrenareoftenatahigherriskforleadexposurethanadults.Whenawomanofchildbearingagehasbeenexposedtolead,herfetuscanbeexposedthroughoutpregnancy.Childreneatmorefood,drinkmorewater,andbreathemoreairperunitofbodyweightthandoadults.Childrenhaveaninnatecuriositytoexploretheirworldandengageindevelopmentallyappropriatehand-to-mouthbehavior.Forexample,atypicalonetosixyearoldchildingestsapproximately100milligramsofhousedustandsoileachday.Whereverhousedustandsoilsarecontaminatedwithlead,childreningestleadalongwiththedustandsoil.Inthosechildrenwhosufferfromnutritionaldeficiencies,ingestedleadisabsorbedatanincreasedrate.33
Somechildrenexhibitaconditioncalledpica,thatis,theyintentionallyeatabnormalquantitiesofpaint,clay,chalk,orothernonfoodmaterials.Causesofpicaarenotwellunderstood,butitisthoughttobecausedbysuchfactorsasculturaltradition,acquiredtaste,oraneurologicalmechanismsuchasanirondeficiencyorchemicalimbalance.AccordingtoonestudyintheUnitedStates,childrenwithpicamayeatasmuchas10gramsofnonfoodmaterialsperday.Whenchildrenwithpicaeatleadcontaminatedsoilsorpaintchips,theyarelikelytosufferhighleadexposure.
Childrenaremorebiologicallysusceptibletoleadthanadults:34
•Achild’sbrainundergoesveryrapidgrowth,developmentanddifferentiationandleadinterfereswiththisprocess.Braindamagecausedbychronic,low-levelexposuretoleadisirreversibleanduntreatable.
•Exposuretoleadearlyinlifecanre-programgenes,whichcanleadtoalteredgeneexpressionandanassociatedincreasedriskofdiseaselaterinlife.
•Gastrointestinalabsorptionofleadisenhancedinchildhood.Upto50percentofingestedleadisabsorbedbychildren,ascomparedwith10percentinadults.(Pregnantwomenmayalsoabsorbmoreingestedleadthanotheradults).
Therecognizedclinicalsymptomsofleadexposureinchildrenincludeabdominalpainandarthralgia(paininthejoints).Clumsinessandstaggeringmayalsobeseen,followedbyheadacheandbehavioralchange.35
33Childhood Lead Poisoning,WorldHealthOrganization,2010
34same
35LeadPoisoning,byHerbertNeedleman,AnnualReviewofMedicine2004,http://www.rachel.org/files/document/Lead_Poisoning.pdf
subcLInIcaL Lead exposure In cHILdren
Clinicallyobservablesymptomsofleadexposureinchildrendonotgenerallyappearuntilahighlevelofleadexposurehasbeenreached:symptomsoftenbegintoappearwhenachild’sbloodleadlevel(BLL)reaches60microgramsperdeciliter(μg/dL).Untilthe1980s,mostmedicalpractitionersdidnotconsiderleadexposureinchildrentobeaproblemuntilandunlessclinicalsymptomswereobserved.
Someresearchers,however,disagreed.Startinginthe1940s,someresearchersbeganfindingsuggestiveevidencethatchildrenwerebeingharmedbyexposuretoleadeventhoughtheyexhibitednoclinicallyobservableleadpoisoningsymptoms.Theseresearchersbegantospeculatethataproportionofschoolfailureandbehavioraldisorderwascausedbyunrecognizedleadtoxicity,andthat,therefore,subclinicalleadexposureinchildrenisalsoaseriousconcern.Thisconjecturewascontroversialatfirstandwasvigorouslychallengedbyleadindustryinterests.
In1979,awell-designedstudybypediatricianandpsychiatristHerbertNeedlemanresolvedtheissue.Hisstudycollectedchildren’sbabyteethandtestedthemforlead.Needlemanfoundthatthechildrenwithhigherleadcontentintheirteeth,onaverage,performedworseinschool,scoredloweronintelligencequotienttests(lowerIQs),andhadhigherincidentsofbadclassroombehavior.Follow-upstudiesonthesesamechildren12yearslaterfoundthatthosewhohadthehighestleadlevelsintheirteethaschildrencontinuedtohaveschoolproblemsthroughtheirlastyearofhighschool.Otherresearchersreachedsimilarconclusionsandalsofoundcorrelationsbetweenchildhoodleadexposureandhigherratesofattentiondeficit,aggression,delinquency,andcrime.36
Needleman’sfindingsandotherstudiesconvincedboththemedicalcommunityandalsoauthoritiesinmanycountriestorecognizethatchildrensuffersignificantneurologicalharmfromrelativelylow-levelexposuretoleadevenwhentheyexhibitnoclinically-observablesymptoms.Widespreadsubclinicalchildhoodleadexposure,byitself,cametoberecognizedasaveryseriouspublichealthconcern.Asaresult,manyjurisdictionsbeganrevisingdownwardwhattheyconsideredanacceptablethresholdlimitofbloodleadinchildren.37
Bythe1990s,theWHOandtheinternationalmedicalcommunitywereingeneralagreementthatabloodleadlevelinchildrenof10μg/dLwasthethresholdforconcernforpublichealthinterventions.
36LeadPoisoning,byHerbertNeedleman,AnnualReviewofMedicine2004,http://www.rachel.org/files/document/Lead_Poisoning.pdf
37LeadPoisoning,byHerbertNeedleman,AnnualReviewofMedicine2004,http://www.rachel.org/files/document/Lead_Poisoning.pdf
11 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Basedontheevidenceofreducedintelligencecausedbychildhoodexposuretolead,theWHOhaslisted“lead-causedmentalretardation”asarecognizeddiseaseandclassifiesitasoneoftheworld’smostseriousdiseasescausedinwholeorinpartbyenvironmentalfactors.
A2006WHOreport,Preventing Disease through Healthy Environments: Towards an estimate of the environmental burden of disease,statesthatapproximatelyone-quarteroftheglobaldiseaseburdenandmorethanonethirdoftheburdenamongchildrenisduetomodifiableenvironmentalfactors,anditliststhe24diseasesthathavethelargestenvironmentalcontribution.Theseincludediarrhea,lowerrespiratoryinfections,malaria,roadtrafficinjuries,andchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.Thereportranksthesediseasesbyaweightedmeasureofdeath,illness,anddisability.Ofthetop24diseasesassociatedwithenvironmentalcausationlistedbyWHO,lead-causedmentalretardationisrankednumber10.38
no saFe LeveL oF Lead exposure In cHILdren
Children’soverallbloodleadlevelsinhighlyindustrialcountriesbegantodropafterleadwasremovedfromautomotivefuelsinthosecountries.Thisallowedresearcherstomoreeasilystudytheeffectsofchildhoodleadexposureatlevelsbelow10ug/dL.Theyfoundthatchildrenwithbloodleadlevelswellbelow10μg/dLwerestillexhibitingmentaldeficitsandbehavioraleffects.Forexample,a2002studybyBruceLanphearfoundthatchildren’smathandreadingscoresshowedreductionsthatcorrelatetobloodleadlevelsaslowas2.5μg/dL.Oneconclusionthathealthresearchershavedrawnfromthisandsimilarstudiesisthatnothresholdlevelforsafeleadexposurehasyetbeendemonstrated.39
Inresponse,aJointExpertCommitteeoftheUnitedNationsFoodandAgriculturalOrganization(FAO)andtheWHOin2010withdrewitspreviousreferencestandardforprovisional
38http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/preventingdis-ease.pdf
39LeadPoisoning,byHerbertNeedleman,AnnualReviewofMedicine2004,http://www.rachel.org/files/document/Lead_Poisoning.pdf
tolerableweeklyintake(PTWI)ofleadanddeterminedthatitisnotpossibletoestablishanewPTWIthatishealthprotective.RecentWHOleadguidelinesnowindicatethattheycanestablishnotolerableweeklyintakeforlead.40
In2010,theEuropeanFoodSafetyAuthorityPanelonContaminantsintheFoodChainreviewedtheworkoftheJointFAO/WHOExpertCommitteeandconcludedthattheEU’spreviousprovisionaltolerableweeklyintakeofleadisnolongervalidsince“thereisnoevidenceforathresholdforcriticallead-inducedeffects.”41
In2012,theU.S.CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)concludedthatthereisnoknownacceptableleadexposurelevelforchildren.Itthereforeeliminatedtheuseofterminologythatidentifiesanybloodlead“levelofconcern.”CDCinsteadadoptedareferencevalueapproachthatcomparesanindividualchild’sbloodleadleveltothatoftheaveragebloodleadleveloftheU.S.populationofchildren.TheCDCalsoadoptedanewpolicyguidancethatemphasizesprimaryprevention:preventingleadexposureratherthanrespondingaftertheexposurehastakenplace.42
Sincechildrenappeartohavenosafelevelofleadexposure,allexposuresshouldbeavoided.
econoMIc and socIaL IMpact oF wIdespread cHILdHood Lead exposure
Leadexposureinchildrenisassociatedwithalifelong,irreversibledecreaseintheirintelligence.Studiesonanimalshavefoundanassociationbetweenleadexposureduringdevelopmentandaggressivebehavior.43Humanhealthstudieshavefoundassociationsbetweenbloodleadconcentrationsinchildrenandarrestsforoffensesinvolvingviolencelaterintheirlives.44Otherneurologicaleffectsofchildhoodleadexposuremayincludeproblemsmaintainingattentioninschoolorhome;hyperactivity;problemswithlearningandrememberingnewinformation;rigid,inflexible
40 Preventing Disease through Healthy Environments, Exposure to Lead: A Major Public Health Concern,WHO2010,http://www.who.int/ipcs/fea-tures/lead.pdf
41ScientificOpiniononLeadinFood,EFSAPanelonContaminantsintheFoodChain(CONTAM),EFSAJournal2010,http://www.efsa.europa.eu/fr/scdocs/doc/1570.pdf
42CDCResponsetoAdvisoryCommitteeonChildhoodLeadPoisoningPre-ventionRecommendationsin“LowLevelLeadExposureHarmsChildren:ARenewedCallofPrimaryPrevention”June2012http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/ACCLPP/CDC_Response_Lead_Exposure_Recs.pdf
43 Exposure to lead during development alters aggressive behavior in golden hamsters,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10440488
44 Association of Prenatal and Childhood Blood Lead Concentrations with Criminal Arrests in Early Adulthood,http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050101
needleman foUnd that children With
hiGher lead content in their teeth, on
averaGe, Performed Worse in school,
scored loWer on intelliGence qUotient
tests (loWer iqs), and had hiGher incidents
of bad classroom behavior
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 12
problem-solvingabilities;problemscontrollingaggressiveorimpulsivebehavior;problemspayingattention;poorworkcompletion;andothers.45
Onthebasisofmultiplestudiesinseveralcountries,itisestimatedthataboutaquartertohalfofanIQpointislostforeachmicrogramperdeciliterincreaseinapreschoolchild’sbloodleadlevel(forchildrenwithbloodleadlevelsintherangeof10to20μg/dL).Forchildrenwithbloodleadlevelslowerthan10μg/dL,thedose/responserelationshipisstronger:anincreaseinachild’sbloodleadlevelfromlessthan1μg/dLto10μg/dLisassociatedwithasixpointdecreaseinIQ.46
Whennationalchildhoodleadexposureissufficientlywidespreadtocauseadecreaseinaverageintelligenceandschoolperformance,thiscanhaveanationwideimpactonthecountryasawhole.Thesementaldeficitscontinuetoadulthoodandaffecttheaverageintelligenceandlearningabilityofthecountry’spopulationasawhole.Widespreadchildhoodleadexposureinacountrycausesashiftinthedistributionofintelligenceandlearningperformanceinacountry’spopulation.Atthelowendoftheintelligencespectrum,thetotalnumberofacountry’scitizensexhibitingsymptomsofmentalretardationissubstantiallyincreased;atthehighend,thenumberwithtrulysuperiorintelligenceissubstantiallydecreased.
Oneresultcanbealargeincreaseinthenumberofchildrenwhodopoorlyinschoolandwhomaynotcontributefullytosocietywhentheybecomeadults.Anotherresultcanbeareductioninacountry’sfutureintellectual,businessandpoliticalleadershippotentialandawideninggapinsocioeconomicattainmentbetweencountrieswithhighandlowlevelsofleadexposureintheirchildren.47
Bloodleadlevelsinchildrenvarywidelyfromcountrytocountryandregiontoregion.Thehighestbloodleadlevelsaregenerallyseeninlow-incomecountries.In2004,16percentofallchildrenworldwidewereestimatedtohavebloodleadlevelsabove10μg/dL.Ninetypercentofthesechildrenwereinlow-incomeregions.48
A2002studybyPhilipLandriganandothersinvestigatedthesocio-economicimpactsofleadexposureinU.S.children.(TheU.S.isacountrywithlowchildhoodleadexposurecomparedtomostdevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.)Thestudyestimatedthecumulativereductioninchildhoodintelligenceassociatedwith1997
45 Neuropsychological Effects of Lead Poisoning on Child Development,Mt.WashingtonPediatricHospital,http://www.mwph.org/services/effects_lead_poisoning.htm
46ChildhoodLeadPoisoning;WorldHealthOrganization,2010
47same
48same
levelsofleadexposureinchildren,anditcorrelatedthistoachild’slifetimeearningpotential.ThestudyconcludedthatthedecreasedadultearningpotentialthatresultsfromthischildhoodleadexposurecoststheU.S.economy$43.4billion(thousandmillionormilliard)peryear.49ThisfindinghasbeenusedtojustifygovernmentprogramstoreduceleadexposureinU.S.children,suchasleadabatementinhomesthathadbeenpaintedwithleadpaints35yearsagoandlonger.
Circumstancesindifferentcountries,ofcourse,varywidely.TheLandriganstudy,nonetheless,providesanindicationofthemagnitudeoftheeconomicimpactofwidespreadchildhoodleadexposureinonehighlyindustrialcountry.AndthefullcostsarelikelytobehigherthanthosedocumentedbyLandrigan’sstudysinceitdoesnotattempttocaptureseveralothercoststosocietyassociatedwithleadexposuresuchasincreasesinviolenceandcriminalbehaviororaddedcostburdensonthenationaleducationsystem.
Whileitwouldbedifficulttoaccuratelyquantifythenationalsocio-economicimpactofwidespreadchildhoodleadexposureonanyparticulardevelopingcountryorcountrywithaneconomyintransition,itisreasonabletoassumethat,inrelativeterms,nationalsocio-economiccostsassociatedwithchildhoodleadexposureinthedevelopingworldisgenerallygreaterthanthecostsdocumentedbyLandriganfortheU.S.Inpart,thisisbecauseaveragechildhoodleadexposureintheU.S.,wheresystematiceffortshavebeenmadeforyearstoaddressthisproblem,ismuchlowerthanchildhoodleadexposureinmostdevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Additionally,issuesassociatedwithincreasingnationallaborproductivityandimprovingnationaleducationsystemsareamongthemostimportantchallengesfacingmostdevelopingcountries.Lead-causeddiminishedintelligenceandmentalretardationtogetherwithotherlead-causedneurologicaleffectssuchasincreasedviolentbehavioraremajorbarrierstowardmeetingandovercomingthischallenge.
49PhilipLandriganandothers,EnvironmentalPollutantsandDiseaseinAmericanChildren,http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1240919/pdf/ehp0110-000721.pdf
13 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Atthe1992RioWorldEnvironmentalSummitandatsubsequentWorldEnvironmentalSummitsin2002and2012,governmentspledgedtoworktowardachievementoftheSoundManagementofChemicals.In2002,theWorldSummitonSustainableDevelopmentinJohannesburgsetagoalthatwasreiteratedatthe2012Rio+20Summit:theachievement of the sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle so that by 2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
Thisgoalisofdirectrelevancetotheleadpaintissue:exposuretoleadcausesseriousadverseimpactsonhumanhealth,especiallychildren’shealth;leadpaintsareawidespreadandsignificantsourceofchildhoodleadexposure;andtheeconomicandsocialcostsassociatedwitheffectivelyprohibitingtheuseofleadadditivesinthosepaintsmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposureareverylow.Ofallthechemicalswhoseproductionandusecausesignificantadverseimpactsonhumanhealth,theuseofleadcompoundsintheformulationofpaintsisamongthosethatcausethegreatestharm,anditisalsoausethatcanbeeliminatedwithamodesteffortandatminimalcost.Thissuggeststhatprogresstowardtheglobaleliminationofleadpaintsby2020,especiallyleaddecorativepaintsandleadpaintsforotherapplicationsmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure,canbeconsideredoneverygoodindicatorofhowwelltheworld’sgovernmentsareperforminginrelationshiptothesoundchemicalsmanagementgoalsthattheyagreedtothe2002and2012WorldEnvironmentalSummits.
saIcM
In2006,environmentministers,healthministers,andothergovernmentdelegatesfrommorethan100countriesmetinDubaialongwithrepresentativesofUnitedNationsspecializedagencies,NGOs,industrytradeassociations,andothersforthefirstInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM1).TheICCM1adoptedtheSAICM,apolicyframeworkandprogramofactionwhosegoalistoachievesoundchemicalsmanagementinallcountriesby2020.50
AtthetimethatSAICMwasbeingpreparedandadopted,itappearsthatmostparticipatinggovernmentandNGOexpertswereunawarethatleadpaintsremainwidelyavailableinthedevelopingworld.Forexample,theword“paint”doesnotappearinthe120-pluspagesofSAICM’sfoundingdocuments.Soonafterwards,however,NGOsbegantestingdecorativepaintsonthemarketintheirhomecountries.Ineverycountrywheretestingwasconducted,mostbrands
50SAICM,http://www.saicm.org/index.php?menuid=2&pageid=256
ofoil-baseddecorativepaintstestedhadhazardousleadcontent.IPENandothersconcludedthattheeliminationofleadpaintshouldbeconsideredacriticalSAICMissueandanecessarypartoftheimplementationofsoundchemicalsmanagementinanycountry.
TwoofSAICM’sfoundingprinciples,asexpressedinthehigh-leveldeclarationadoptedbyEnvironmentMinistersandothersatSAICM’sfoundingmeeting,are:
The sound management of chemicals is essential if we are to achieve sustainable development, including the eradication of poverty and disease, the improvement of human health and the environment and the elevation and maintenance of the standard of living in countries at all levels of development;and…
We are determined to protect children and the unborn child from chemical exposures that impair their future lives.51
Theseprinciplesspeakdirectlytothecontinuingwidespreadsaleanduseofleadpaints.Childhoodleadexposuresassociatedwithleadpaintsharmhumanhealth,underminetheeradicationofpovertyanddisease,andcreatebarrierstotheelevationandmaintenanceofstandardsofliving.Leadpainteliminationisnecessarytoprotectchildrenandtheunbornchildfromchemicalexposuresthatimpairtheirfuturelives.
OneoftheagreedpillarsoftheSAICMPolicyandStrategyistheSAICMRiskReductionObjective:
To ensure, by 2020 that chemicals or chemical uses that pose an unreasonable and otherwise unmanageable risk to human health and the environment based on a science-based risk assessment and taking into account the costs and benefits as well as the availability of safer substitutes and their efficacy, are no longer produced or used for such uses.52
ThisSAICMobjectivespeaksveryclearlyandpreciselytothecontinueduseofleadcompoundsintheformulationofpaints.Leadcompoundsusedindecorativeandotherpaintsposeanunreasonableandotherwiseunmanageablerisktohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Theyimposeveryhighcostsonsociety,provideverylittleifanybenefits,andshouldnolongerbeproducedandused.Safersubstitutesfortheleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotherleadcompoundsusedinthemanufactureofpaintshavelongbeenused,arewidely
51Dubai Declaration on International Chemicals Management,http://www.saicm.org/documents/saicm%20texts/SAICM_publication_ENG.pdf
52 SAICM Overarching Policy Strategy,http://www.saicm.org/documents/saicm%20texts/SAICM_publication_ENG.pdf
lead Paint and the soUnd manaGement of chemicals
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 14
available,havewell-demonstratedefficacy,andhaveatmostmarginalimpactonthewholesalepriceofthepaintproduct.
Forthefollowingreasons,nationalleadpainteliminationshouldberelativelyeasytoachieveineverycountryifgovernmentofficialsandstakeholdersworktogether:
•Thesignificantharmsassociatedwithchildhoodleadexposure,includinglow-dosesubclinicalexposure,arenowwell-documentedandnotlikelytobecomeasubjectofseriousnationalcontroversy.
•Thebarriersthatnationalpaintmanufacturersandim-porterswillneedtoovercometoeliminatetheuseofleadpigments,leaddryers,andotherleadcompoundsintheirdecorativeandotherpaintformulationsareminimal,notcostly,andnottechnicallydifficulttoimplement.
•Thedraftingofanappropriatenationallegalinstrumenttoprohibitthemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofleaddecorativepaintsisnotadifficultexercise.
•Modalitiescanbefoundforcompliancemonitoringandenforcementofawell-craftednationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentthatareneithercostlynortechnicallychalleng-ingtoimplement.
Anycountrywiththewilltodosocanrelativelyeasilyeliminatethemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofleaddecorativepaintsandtheothercategoriesofpaintmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Additionally,thelargelytransnationalcharacteroftheglobalpaintandcoatingsindustryanditssupplychainsuggeststhattheindustryitself,withleadershipfromthelargecompaniesthatdominateit,couldeasilydecidetoeliminatetheseleadpaints.Therefore:
•IfSAICMistobeconsideredtobeameaningfulinternationalinitiative
•IfgovernmentsandstakeholderstakeseriouslytheSAICMgoalsandobjectivestheyadopted
•IfpurelyvoluntaryinternationalagreementssuchasSAICMaretobeviewedashavinganyutility
ThentheglobaleliminationofleaddecorativepaintsshouldbeundertakenasaSAICMtargetobjectivethatcanberealisticallyachievedby2020invirtuallyallcountries.
gLobaL aLLIance to eLIMInate Lead paInt
In2009,asecondmeetingoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagement(ICCM2)washeldinNairobi.IPENandotherspresentedevidencetotheICCM2thatleadpaintscontinuetobewidelymanufactured,sold,andusedinmanydevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Delegatesfromgovernmentministriesand
stakeholderorganizationsrespondedbyadoptingaresolutionthatidentifiedLeadinPaintsasanemergingSAICMpolicyissueandthatinvitedtheUNEPandtheWHOtoestablishaglobalpartnershiptopromotephasingouttheuseofleadinpaintsandtoserveasitssecretariat.53
UNEPandWHOjointlyinitiatedthispartnershipatanorganizationalmeetingheldinMay2010underthenameGlobal Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint(GAELP).54GAELP’sagreedbroadobjectiveistophaseoutthemanufactureandsaleofpaintscontainingleadandeventuallytoeliminatetherisksfromsuchpaint.55UsingtheICCM2resolutionasitspointofdeparture,GAELPhasdefinedtheterm“paint”toalsoincludevarnishes,lacquers,stains,enamels,glazes,primers,andcoatings.GAELPdefinestheterm“leadpaint”aspainttowhichoneormoreleadcompoundshasbeenadded.56
GAELP’soverallgoalistopreventchildren’sexposuretoleadviapaintscontainingleadandtominimizeoccupationalexposurestoleadinpaint.GAELP’sbroadobjectiveistophaseoutthemanufactureandsaleofpaintscontainingleadand,eventually,toeliminatetherisksfromsuchpaint.57
GAELP’sspecificobjectivesareto:58
(a)Raisetheawarenessofgovernmentauthoritiesandregulators,theprivatesector,manufacturers,consumers,workers,tradeunions,andhealth-careprovidersaboutthetoxicityofleadinpaintsandtheavailabilityoftechnicallysuperiorandsaferalternatives
53ICCM2omnibusresolutionII/4onemergingpolicyissues,http://www.saicm.org/documents/iccm/ICCM2/emerging%20issues/ICCM2%20Out-comes/Emerging%20issues/Omnibus%20resolution%20II_4.doc
54SeeGAELPHomePage,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Lead-Cadmium/PrioritiesforAction/GAELP/tabid/6176/Default.aspx
55SeeGAELPObjectives,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/LeadCadmium/PrioritiesforAction/GAELP/GAELPObjectives/tabid/6331/Default.aspx
56SeeGAELPOperational Framework,March2011,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Lead_Cadmium/docs/GAELP/Final_op-erational_framework_GAELP.pdf
57 Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint: Objectives,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/LeadCadmium/PrioritiesforAction/GAELP/GAEL-PObjectives/tabid/6331/Default.aspx
58same
any coUntry With the Will to do so
can relatively easily eliminate the
manUfactUre, imPort, sale and Use of lead
decorative Paints and the other cateGories
of Paint most likely to contribUte to
childhood lead exPosUre.
15 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
(b)Catalyzethedesignandimplementationofappropriateprevention-basedprogramstoreduceandeliminaterisksfromtheuseofleadinpaintsandproductscoatedwithleadpaints
(c)Helpidentifypaintmanufacturersandformulatorsthatcontinuetoproduceandmarketpaintscontainingleadsoastofosteractionstophaseoutleadfromtheirproducts
(d)Promotetheestablishmentofappropriatenationalregulatoryframeworkstostopthemanufacture,import,export,sale,anduseofleadpaintsandproductscoatedwithleadpaints
(e)Promote,asappropriate,internationalthird-partycertificationofnewpaintproductstohelpconsumerstorecognizepaintandcoatingswithoutaddedlead
(f)Shareguidanceandpromoteassistancetoidentifyandreducepotentialleadexposureinandaroundhousing,childcarefacilities,andschoolsinwhichpaintcontainingleadandpaintdustispresentandinindustrialfacilitiesproducingorusingpaintcontainingleadtoreduceworkers’leadexposure
TheWHOandtheUNEPdevoteresources,stafftime,andtheirorganizationalinfluencetoGAELPandtheachievementofitsobjectives.Severalacademicsinthefieldsofmedicineandpublichealth,andNGOrepresentativesassociatedwithIPEN,OccupationalKnowledgeInternational,andothersareactiveGAELPparticipantsandcontributors.Theleadingpaintindustryinternationaltradeassociation,InternationalPaintandPrintersInkCouncil(IPPIC),hasalsobeenanactiveparticipantinGAELPmeetings.Untilrecently,governmentparticipationinGAELPactivitieswassparse.However,asecondgeneralmeetingofGAELPwasheldinBangkokinJuly2012,hostedbytheThaiGovernment,with22governmentrepresentativesinattendancetogetherwithparticipantsfromUNEP,WHO,NGOs,academics,andtheThaipaintindustrytradeassociation.
FollowingtheICCM2decision,strongresolutionsinsupportofGAELP’sleadpainteliminationobjectiveswereadoptedattheFourth African regional meeting on SAICMinNairobiinApril2011andattheThird Latin American and Caribbean regional meeting on SAICMinPanamaCityinJune2011.59TheSAICMregionalGroupofAsianandPacificcountriesannouncedataglobalSAICMmeetinginBelgrade,inNovember2011,thatitalso“accordedhighprioritytoworkonleadinpaint,urgingtheworldcommunitytophaseouttheuseofleadforthwith.”60
Despitethesestatementsofsupport,onlyasmallhandfulofdevelopingworldgovernmentshavesofaradoptedmeaningfulmeasurestoactuallyprohibitorstrictlycontrolleadpaintmanufacture,import,sale,anduseintheircountries.Additionally,whilepaintindustrytradeassociationrepresentativeshaveindicatedinternationalpaintindustrysupportforGAELPanditsobjectives,thishasnotyettranslatedintomeaningfulindustryengagementinleadpainteliminationeffortsofakindoronascalecomparabletotheinitiativesofpetroleumcompaniesandtheirtradeassociationsduringthesuccessfulglobalcampaigntoeliminateleadedautomotivefuels.NorhavedonorgovernmentsprovidedUNEPandWHOwithsufficientresourcestoemploydedicatedfull-timestafftoGAELPortofundconcertedGAELP-ledinitiatives.
Nonetheless,GAELPprovidesausefulframeworkforleadpainteliminationinitiativesanddialoguewithpaintmanufacturingcompaniesandtheirtradeassociations.ItcanpotentiallyserveasavehiclethroughwhichUNEPcaninfluencenationalenvironmentministriesandWHOcaninfluencenationalhealthministriesinsupportofnationalregulatoryactionstocontrolleadpaints.GAELPcanalsoserveasausefulframeworkforcooperationbetweenhealthprofessionals,academics,NGOs,andotherswhohaveaninterestinlaunchingtheirownnationalorglobalinitiativesinsupportofleadpainteliminationobjectives.
AsaparticipantinGAELP,IPENhashadsomeinitialsuccessesinmobilizingresourcesforNGOleadpainteliminationeffortsfromgovernmental,intergovernmental,andnon-governmentaldonors.Forexample,participationinGAELPhashelpedIPENsecureagrantof€1.4millionfromaEuropeanCommissionDevelopmentandCooperationprogramtosupportNGOinitiatedleadpainteliminationactivitiesinsevenAsiancountries.GAELPhasalsoprovided
59http://www.saicm.org/images/saicm_documents/OEWG/Meeting%20documents/OEWG%201%20INF%2011%20Compilation%20of%20reg%20mtgs.pdf
60ReportoftheworkoftheOpen-endedWorkingGroupoftheInterna-tionalConferenceonChemicalsManagement,http://www.saicm.org/images/saicm_documents/OEWG/Meeting%20documents/OEWG1%2019_OEWG1%20Report%20E.pdf
GaelP’s overall Goal is to Prevent
children’s exPosUre to lead via
Paints containinG lead and to minimize
occUPational exPosUres to lead in Paint.
GaelP’s broad obJective is to Phase oUt the
manUfactUre and sale of Paints containinG
lead and, eventUally, to eliminate the risks
from sUch Paint.
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 16
aframeworkfordiscussionsbetweenIPEN,UNEP,andtheGlobalEnvironmentFacilityaboutapossible$1milliongrantforaglobalNGOleadpainteliminationprojectwithfocalactivitiesinfiveregionallydiversecountries.TheseprojectsmaybeusedasmodelsbybothgovernmentalentitiesandotherNGOswhomaywishtoseektheirownfundingfromenvironmentalordevelopmentassistancedonorsforleadpainteliminationprogramsandprojects.
InternatIonaL Lead poIsonIng preventIon day oF actIon
OnedecisionGAELPhastakenistosponsoranInternational Lead Poisoning Prevention Day of ActionthatwilltakeplaceinOctober2013withleadpainteliminationasitstheme.ThisdecisionwasproposedbyagenciesoftheU.S.Government,whichhavesponsorednationalLeadPoisoningPreventionsDaysofActionformanyyearsandhaveofferedGAELPtoprovidetechnicalandin-kindsupportforthisglobalinitiative.AtICCM3(September2012),aresolutiontosupporttheDayofActionwillbeproposed.
OneobjectiveoforganizinganationalLeadPoisoningPreventionDayofActionwithleadpainteliminationasitsthemecanbetosendaclearsignaloftheintenttotakefur-theractionaimedattheeliminationofleadpaintproduction,import,sale,anduse.TheDayofActioncanbeusedtoraisepublicandpoliticalawarenessontheissue.Itcanprovideanopportunityfordirectoutreachtopaintcompaniesandvendorsandtonationalpaintindustrytradeassociations.Itcanalsobeusefulinidentifyingnationalalliesforleadpainteliminationobjectives.ThecostsassociatedwithorganizingaDayofActionshouldbeminimalandwouldmostlybeofanin-kindcharacter.Anddocumentingasuccessfuleffortmightbehelpfulinapproachestopotentialdonorswithrequeststosupportmoresubstantivenationalinitiatives.
UtilizingtheDayofActiontomobilizesupportfornationalleadpainteliminationeffortswillbemosteffectiveifoneormoregovernmentministryoragencysuchashealth,environmentand/orothersprovidesnationalsponsorshipfortheevent.Inbecomingasponsor,theministryoragencytakesameaningfulsteptowardnationalleadpaintelimination,whichwillhelpcreateafoundationuponwhichmoresubstantivefollow-upactivitycanbebuilt.However,wheregovernmentagenciesarenotinapositiontosponsorororganizetheDayofAction,NGOs,healthprofessionalorganizations,and/orothersinacountrymaytaketheinitiativeontheirown.
Oncethedateisfirmlysetandinitialsponsorsororganizershavebeenidentified,aneffortshouldbemadetoidentifyadditionalparticipantsandsupporters.Thesemightinclude
agenciesofstate,provincial,and/ormunicipalgovernmentalentities;nationalorregionalpolitical,intellectual,cultural,orsocialleaders;theWHOnationaloffice;organizationsofmedicalandhealthprofessionals;hospitalsandmedicalschools;paintmanufacturersand/ortheirtradeassociations;NGOsandotherorganizationsofcivilsocietyworkingonissuessuchashealthand/orenvironmentalprotection,consumerrights,andchildren’sadvocacy;andothers.
Additionalactivitiescouldincludeposters,brochures,andsimilarmaterialspromotingleadpoisoningprevention;publicmeetingsandseminarsonthistheme;promotioncoverageinprintandelectronicmedia;etc.Presumably,GAELPwillbeabletoprovideusefulandappropriateposterandbrochuretemplates,informationalmaterials,andotherformsofsupport.
a natIonaL Lead paInt controL InstruMent
OneofGAELP’smostimportantobjectivesistopromotetheestablishmentofappropriatenationalregulatoryframeworkstoeliminateleadpaints.Governmentscandothisbypassinglawsorbyissuingregulations,directives,mandatoryprocedures,orstandards,orbyothermeans.Theinstrumentmayimposedifferentcontrolsand/ordifferenttimelinesforentryintoforcefordifferentpaintcategories.Priorityshouldbegiventothosepaintcategoriesmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Theseincludedecorativepaints;paintsappliedtotoys,pencils,children’sfurniture,andotherarticlesthatchildrenmightchewon;andanti-rustoranti-corrosivepaintsthataresoldontheconsumermarketorusedonplaygroundequipment.Considerationshouldalsobegivenworkers’occupationalexposuretolead.
Althoughitisappropriatetodefineleadpaintaspainttowhichoneormoreleadcompoundshavebeenadded,asapracticalmatter,aneffectivenationalcontrolinstrumentneedstoalsoestablishaquantitativestandardthatcanbeeasilytestedforandmeasured.Theproperstandardisalimitonthetotalleadcontentofthenon-volatileportionofthedriedpaintfilm.ThestandardadoptedbytheUnitedStatesimposesanupperlimitof90ppmontotallead(dryweight)fordecorativeandmanyotherpaintcategories.Othercountrieshaveadoptedstandardsintherangeof90to600ppmtotallead(dryweight).NGOsassociatedwithIPENgenerallypromotethe90ppmstandardasonethatisfullyachievableandmaximallyprotective.However,thedifferenceinpracticaleffectbetweena90ppmstandardanda600ppmstandardisnotverygreat.Ifthepaintmanufactureraddsleadcompoundstopainttoserveasapigment,asadryingagent,orforsomeotherintentionalpurpose,theleadcontent
17 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
ofthepaintisalmostalwayssubstantiallygreaterthan600ppm;ifnoleadcompoundisintentionallyadded,theleadcontentisgenerallywellbelow90ppm.
Anappropriatenationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentshouldprohibitproduction,import,export,sale,anduseofanycontrolledpaintproductthatfailstomeetthenationalstandard.Itshoulduseabroaddefinitionofpainttoincludevarnishes,lacquers,stains,enamels,glazes,primers,andcoatings.Itshouldspecifyauniformanalyticalmethodormethodsthatareappropriateformeasuringtotalleadinthenon-volatileportionofthedriedpaintfilm.Theapprovedmethodsshouldspecifyproceduresforsamplecollectionanddrying;samplepreparationanddigestion;andchemicalanalysis.Theinstrumentshouldestablishthedatewhenitentersintoforce,anditshouldaddressrequirementsforpaintsthataresittinginwarehousesoronstoreshelvesatthetimeofentryintoforce.Aneffectiveinstrumentmustalsocontainprovisionsspecifyingenforcementmechanismsincludingmonitoringaswellasfinesorotherconsequences
fornon-compliancethataresufficienttoinducepaintproducers,importers,andvenderstocomply.
Itisalsoadvisableforanationalpaintcontrolinstrumenttoincludeprovisionsaimedatminimizingleadexposurefromleadpaintthatwasappliedtosurfacespriortotheinstru-menttakingeffect.Forexample,itmayrequirelabelsonalldecorativepaintcanswithwarningsthatsandingorscrapingapreviouslypaintedsurfaceinpreparationforrepaintingcanproducehazardousleaddust,anditmayspecifyproceduresforpreparingsurfacesforrepaintingthatminimizethisleaddusthazard.
Ifanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentincludesexemptionsordelayedimplementationforthecontrolofcertaincategoriesofleadpaint,itisadvisablethattheinstrumentrequirelabelsontheleadpaintsthatstate:“Hazard:ContainsLead.”
Aleadpaintcontrolinstrumentmayenumerateanon-exclusivelistofleadcompoundswhoseintentionaluseinpaintformulationsisexplicitlyprohibited.Ifthisweretobe
done,thelistshouldinclude,ataminimum,alltheleadpaintadditivesthathavebeenidentifiedbyGAELP:leadmonoxide,leadoctanoate,leadchromate,lead2-ethylhexanoate,leadsulfate,leadoxide,leadmolybdate,leadnitrate,leadsulfochromateyellow,leadnaphthenate,leadchromatemolybdatesulfatered,leadperoxide,leadcarbonate(whitelead),leadchromateoxideandtrileadbis(carbonate)dihydroxide.61
Afewcountrieshaverecentlyadoptedleadpaintcontrolinstrumentswithstandardsfordecorativeandotherpaintsthatarenotbasedonthetotalleadcontentofthepaint.Thesestandards,rather,arebasedonwhathasbeencalled“solublelead”definedastheamountofleadinthedrypaintfilmthatisdissolvedbyadiluteacidsolution.Pigmentvendershaverespondedtosolubleleadstandardsbyofferingpaintmanufacturersyellowandredpigmentsofleadchromateandleadmolybdatethathavebeenengineerednottoeasilydissolveindilutehydrochloricacid.Whensuchengineeredleadpigmentsareusedintheformulationofdecorativeorotherpaints,thepaintswilllikelycomplywiththesolubleleadstandardbutwouldstillbeconsideredtobe“leadpaint”accordingtotheinternationallyagreeddefinitionofleadpaint.Therefore,theadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentthatusesasolubleleadstandardfordecorativeorotherpaintsisnotadvised.
Aprobablerationalefortheadoptionofsolubleleadstandardsistheassumptionthatwhenachildingestspaintresidues,onlyleadpigmentsorotherleadcompoundsthatareeasilydissolvedbygastricacidinthechild’sstomach(dilutehydrochloricacid)willenterthebloodstreamandcauseharm.Thescientificbasisforsuchanassumption,however,isdubious.Theseengineeredleadcompoundsarelikelytobehaveverydifferentlyuponentryintoachild’sgastrointestinaltractthantheydointhetestlaboratory.Thetestinglaboratorymeasureshowmuchleadinasampleofthenewpaintdissolvesindiluteacid.Paintresiduesthatachildmayingest,ontheotherhand,arenotlikelytocomefromnewpaint.Usuallytheseresiduescomefrompaintsthathavebeenpaintedontosurfaces,aged,weathered,exposedtosunlight,poundedandgrinded,andsoon.Thereisnogoodreasontoexpectthattheseengineeredleadpigmentswillcontinuetoremainnon-soluble.
61GlobalAlliancetoEliminateLeadPaint,OperationalFramework,para-graph7,http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Portals/9/Lead_Cad-mium/docs/GAELP/SecondMeeting/GAELP_operational-framework-full-JM120706_r.pdf
an aPProPriate national lead Paint
control instrUment shoUld Prohibit
ProdUction, imPort, exPort, sale and Use
of any controlled Paint ProdUct that fails
to meet the national standard.
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 18
Limitedprogresstowardgloballeadpainteliminationhasbeenmadesince2007.
progress as Measured by paInt saMpLIng and testIng
InsomeofthecountrieswhereIPENandotherstestedpaintsbetween2007and2009,itappearsthatmanyofthepaintbrandswhoseoil-baseddecorativepaintswerefoundtocontainhighquantitiesofleadhavesincereducedorcompletelyeliminatedtheiruseofleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotherleadcompoundsinthedecorativepaintsthattheyproduceforsaleinthosemarkets.ThisprogressisdifficulttoquantifyandtheinformationisincompletebecauseIPENandothershavehadaccesstoonlyverymodestresourcesforpaintsamplingandtesting.Nonetheless,basedonthelimiteddataavailable,itappearsthatinsomeofthecountriesofSouthAsiaandSoutheastAsia,andalsoinCameroon(andpossiblyothercountrieswhereNGOsandothershavecarriedoutactivepublicinformationcampaignsonleadpaintelimination),anumberofthelargepaintbrandshavestoppedorreducedtheiruseofleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundsinthedecorativepaintsthattheysellinthosemarkets.
IPENcurrentlyhasknowledgeofpaintsamplingandtestingresultsfromapproximately25developingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Thismeansthatformostcountries,therestillappearstobenopubliclyavailabledataontheleadcontentofpaintsforsaleonthenationalmarket.Asaresult,formostcountries,thereisnotevenbaselineinformationagainstwhichprogresscouldbemeasured.Andthedatathatiscurrentlyavailableisincomplete.Itdoesnotcoverallthebrandsforsaleonanymarketandusuallycoversonlyasmallnumberofthepaintcolorsortexturesofanysinglebrand.Additionally,inmostcases,theavailabledatacomesfromsamplingandtestingundertakenonlyonetime,whichmakesitdifficulttoevaluateprogressovertime.
Thebestmeasureofrealprogresstowardgloballeadpainteliminationwouldbebasedonextensive,periodicpaintsamplingandtestingincountriesofallregions.Thisisbecauseevenafteracountryadoptsanationallaworregulationtoprohibitleaddecorativepaints,thesepaintsmightremainwidelyavailableforsaleonthenationalmarketifcomplianceislax.Hopefully,asagrowingnumberofgovernmentsofdevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransitiontakeaninterestinleadpaintanditselimination,manyarelikelytoinitiatetheirownnational
leadpaintsamplingandtestingactivitiesorprograms.Somemaydosotohelpthemevaluatethescaleofthenationalproblem;somemaydosoaspartofthecomplianceregimeassociatedwithanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument.Asgovernmentscollectsuchdata,itwouldbeextremelyusefuliftheywouldagreetobetransparentandsharethedatathattheycollectwiththeinternationalcommunity;anditwouldalsobeusefulforGAELPtomaintainaglobalpubliclyavailabledatabaseofpaintsamplingandtestingresults.
Whileextensivepaintsamplingandtestingwouldprovide,inprinciple,thebestmeasureofprogresstowardgloballeadpaintelimination,otherusefulmeasuresinclude:thenumber(andthepaintmarketsize)ofcountriesthathaveadoptedmeaningfulleadpaintcontrolmeasures;andthenumber(andpaintmarketshare)ofthepaintmanufacturersthatdonotaddleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotherleadcompoundstopaintsthattheyproduceorwhohavemadeameaningfulpubliccommitmenttostopbyaanannounceddate.
Examplesofprogressinclude:
brazIL adopts Lead paInt controL Law
InAugust2008,Braziladoptedanadministrativeleadpaintcontrollawwhichestablishesthemaximumallowablelimitforleadinpaints,varnishes,andsimilarsurfacecoatingproductsforuseonbuildingsandschools.ThelawenteredintoforceinAugust2009.62
TheBrazilianlawprohibitsthemanufacture,sale,distribution,andimportofsurfacecoatingproductsforuseonbuildingsandschoolswithtotalleadcontentgreaterthanorequalto600ppm(0.06%)ofthenon-volatileportionofthedriedpaintasdeterminedbylaboratorytestinginaccordancewithnationalorinternationaltechnicalstandards.Paintcompaniesandvendorsweregivenoneyeartocomplyandremoveleadpaintsfromtheirsupplychains.Followingthelaw’sentryintoforceinAugust2009,itbecameimpermissibletosellleadpaintsevenifstocksremained.
62PresidênciadaRepública,CasaCivil,SubchefiaparaAssuntosJurídicos,LeiNo,11.762,de1ºdeAgostode2008,http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2008/lei/l11762.htm
ProGress
the best measUre of real ProGress toWard
Global lead Paint elimination WoUld be
based on extensive, Periodic Paint samPlinG
and testinG in coUntries of all reGions.
19 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Thelawrequirespaintimporterstoprovidedocumentationoflaboratoryteststhatdemonstratethatimportedpaintscomplywiththestandardbeforebeinggrantedpermissiontoimport.Paintmanufacturersorimportersthatfailtocomplywiththeleadpaintcontroladministrativelawmayreceivepenaltiesincludingnotification,seizureoftheproduct,andafineequaltothevalueofgoodsseized.Thelawdoesnotspecificallyindicateanyothermonitoringorenforcementmechanisms.
ThelistedcategoriesofpaintswhichareexemptedfromtheBrazilianlawarepaintandcoatingmaterialsforuseonagriculturalandindustrialequipment,steelstructures,industrial,agriculturalandcommercialapplications,motorvehicles,aircraft,ships,railwaycarriages,appliances,andmetalfurniture.Thelawadditionallyexemptspaintsusedontrafficsigns,anticorrosivepaints,oranypaint,inkorsimilarmaterialusedexclusivelyingraphicarts.
TheBrazilianNGOEnvironmentalProtectionAssociation,incollaborationwithIPEN,initiallysampledandtestedpaintsonthemarketinBrazilafterthelawwasadoptedbutbeforeithadenteredintoforce.63OfthesixbrandsofenamelpaintsonthemarketinBrazilthatweresampledandtested,paintsfromtwoofthebrandscontainedonlytraceorlowquantitiesoflead.Testedpaintsfromtheotherfourbrands,however,includedsomewithveryhighleadcontent:thehighestcontained170,000ppmofleadandoneormoreofthesamplesofeachofthefourbrandscontained5,000ppmofleadormore.
PaintsonthemarketinBrazilweresampledandtestedagainafterthenewlawenteredintoforce.Theresultswerenotavailablebythetimethisreportwenttopress.However,basedoninformalcommunications,itappearsthatverysignificantprogresshasbeenmade.AlloftheBrazilianenameldecorativepaintsthatweretestedbeforethelawenteredintoforceweretestedagaininDecember2011.Thetestedsamplesfromallsixwerefoundtocontainnoleadatthelevelofdetection.However,twobrandsthatwerenotpreviouslytesteddidcontainsignificantamountsoflead.Onetestedsamplefromeachofthesebrandscontainedmorethan45,000ppmoflead–75timestheallowablelimitunderBrazil’snewlaw.Sincethenewlawhasonlyrecentlyenteredintoforce,complianceshouldcontinuetoimprove.
63http://www.ipen.org/ipenweb/documents/work%20documents/global_paintstudy.pdf
srI Lanka adopts Lead paInt controL dIrectIve
SriLankaisanothercountrywhereprogresstowardleadpainteliminationisbeingmade.In2009,theSriLankanNGOCentreforEnvironmentalJusticereleasedareportpreparedincooperationwithIPENandtheIndianNGOToxicsLinkwhichincludedthefirstdataevermadepubliclyavailableontheleadcontentofdecorativepaintsforsaleontheSriLankanmarket.Allthedecorativepaintstestedfromoneofthebrandsinthenationalmarket(ICIDulux)containedonlytraceamountsoflead.However,paintsfromthethreeotherbrandstestedhadveryhighleadcontent.
ThereleaseoftheseresultssetoffafiercedebatebetweenthepaintcompaniesthemselvesandalsointheSriLankanpressandsociety.TheCentreforEnvironmentalJusticethensuccessfullypetitionedtheSriLankanSupremeCourtrequestingitordertheConsumerAffairsAuthoritytoformulateasuitableleadpaintcontrolregulationtakingintoconsiderationtheserioushealthimpactsthatresultfromaddingleadcompoundstodecorativepaints.
In September2011,theSriLankannationalConsumerAffairsAuthority,usingpowersgrantedtoitbytheConsumerAffairsAuthorityAct,publishedaleadpaintcontroldirectivewhichstates:
“… no Manufacturer, Importer, Packer, Distributor or Trader shall manufacture, import and use or distribute, pack, store or sell or display for sale, expose for sale or offer for sale, wholesale or retail any paints unless such paints shall conform to the corresponding Total Lead Content specified by the Sri Lanka Standard Institution for such paints.”
Thespecifiedpermissiblemaximumtotalleadcontent,asstatedinthedirectiveis600ppm(mg/kg)forenamelpaintsandfloorpaintsand90ppm(mg/kg)foremulsionpaintsbothforexteriorandinterioruse.Thedirectiveadditionallyestablishesapermissiblemaximumsolubleleadcontentfor“PaintsusedonToysandAccessoriesforChildren”of90ppm(mg/kg).Thedirectivedoesnotspecifythetestmethodstobeusedformonitoringcompliancewithitsstandardsnoraspecificleadpaintmonitoringandenforcementregime.However,theenforcementprovisionsandpenaltiesfornon-compliancespecifiedintheConsumerAffairsAuthorityActwillapply.
TheSriLankanleadpaintcontroldirectivewillenterforceandbecomeeffectiveonJanuary1,2013.
ManydecorativepaintbrandsthataresoldontheSriLankamarketappeartohavealreadybeguntocomplywiththisdirectiveeventhoughithasnotyetenteredintoforce.Severalmajorbrands,includingAsianPaints,ICIDulux,andMultilac,haveplacedstatementsontheirlabelssaying“noaddedlead.”
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 20
tHaILand May soon adopt a new paInt controL InstruMent
In2009theThaiNGOCampaignforAlternativeIndustryNetwork(sincerenamedEcologicalAlertandRecovery–ThailandorEARTH)releasedareportpreparedincooperationwithIPENandtheIndianNGOToxicsLinkthatincludeddataontheleadcontentofdecorativepaintsforsaleontheThaimarket.ThisreportandsubsequentactivitiesbyEARTHandotherThaistakeholdersstimulatedrenewednationalinterestintheissue.
SeveralmajorpaintbrandsontheThaimarkethaveparticipatedforyearsinagreenlabelingprogram,avoluntaryprogramforwater-basedandsolvent-basedpaints.ParticipatingcompaniesmanyyearsagoappeartohavedecidednottouseleadpigmentsandotherleadcompoundsinthedecorativepaintsthattheysellinThailand.Someofthesepaintsweresampledandtestedforthe2009reportandcontainednomorethantraceamountsoflead.Ontheotherhand,paintsfromsomeofthesamebrandsaswellasotherbrandsofoil-basedpaintsontheThaimarketsampledandtestedforthereportwerefoundtocontainextremelyhighlead:ayellowNipponenamelpaintwasfoundtocontainmorethan500,000ppmofleadandaRust-Oleumenamelpaintwasfoundtocontainmorethan300,000ppmoflead.
ThaiGovernmentagencies,paintindustryrepresentatives,NGOs,andothersenteredintoastakeholderdialogueontheissue.In2012,theThaiMinistryofEnvironmentagreedtohostthesecondmeetingoftheGAELPheldonJuly12,2012,inBangkok.
ThePresidentoftheThaiPaintManufacturersAssociation(TPMA),whoisalsotheManagingDirectoryofoneofThailand’slargestpaintmanufacturingcompanies,gaveapresentationtotheGAELPmeeting.Shestatedthatmorethan80percentofallpaintsoldontheThaimarketisproducedbyTPMAmembercompanies.BecauseTPMAunderstoodthattheThaiGovernmentagenciesmightbeconsideringtheadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument,itpolleditsmemberstoaskthemwhetheranyhadanobjectiontotheThaigovernmentinitiatingabanontheuseofleadcompoundsintheformulationofdecorativepaints.Whennoobjectionswerereceived,TPMAforwardedanofficiallettertotheThaiMinistryofIndustrygivingitsconsenttosuchaban.
TheinterestshownbytheThaiGovernmentinitsagreementtohostaGAELPmeetingandtheletterfromTPMAstatingitsconsenttoabanonleadcompoundsindecorativepaintsaregoodreasonsforoptimismthatThailandwillsoonadoptabindingregulationordirectivebanningtheuseofleadcompoundsindecorativepaints.
Lead paInt controL order proposed In tHe pHILIppInes
ThePhilippineNGOEcoWasteCoalitionsampledpaintsonthenationalmarketin2009aspartoftheIPEN/ToxicsLinkGlobalstudyandalsotestedpaintsagainina2010follow-upstudy.Inbothofthestudies,somebutnotalloftheoil-baseddecorativepaintscontainedhighaddedleadcontent.PainttestingresultswerereleasedtothenewsmediainbothManilaandCebuCityandreceivedextensivenewspaperandtelevisioncoverage.ResolutionsinsupportofaprohibitiononleaddecorativepaintswereintroducedintoboththePhilippineSenateandHouseofRepresentatives.ThePhilippineHealthSecretaryissuedastatementinsupportofEcoWaste’sadvocacyfortheimmediatephasingoutofleadinpaintsinthecountry.ThePhilippineEnvironmentSecretarycalledforstrictercontrolsonlead,especiallyinpaints.Inresponse,thePhilippinepaintindustrytradeassociationhasindicateditcouldacceptaphase-outoftheuseofleaddryingagentsoveratwo-yearperiodandaphase-outoftheuseofleadpigmentsoverasix-yearperiod.
ThePhilippineDepartmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResourceshasreleasedadraftChemicalControlOrder(CCO)whichdefinesleadpaintsas“anypaintscontainingtotalleadondrybasisthatisabovethespecificlimitof90partspermillion(ppm).”ThedraftCCOstatesthat,“Allleadcompoundsinpaintsforarchitecturalandindustrialpaints,coatings,pigments,varnishes,lacquers,stains,enamels,glazes,topcoatsandprimersshallbegraduallyreduceduptotheallowablelimitof90ppminconcentrationwithintheperiodofsix(6)yearsfromtheapprovalandsignatureofthisCCO.”ThedraftCCOalsorequiresthatawarninglabelbeplacedonpaintandcoatingscontainersindicatingthatleaddustishazardousanditcanbecreatedwhenpreparingpreviouslypaintedsurfacesforrepainting.
ThisdraftControlOrderisstillunderdiscussionandhasnotyetbeenadopted.NGOsandstakeholders,amongotherissues,arepressingfortheprovisionsoftheControlOrdertobephased-inmorerapidlythanthesix-yearperiodcurrentlycalledforinthedraft.
apparent progress by tHree oF IndIa’s Four Largest paInt brands
FourmajorpaintbrandsdominatetheIndianpaintindustry:AsianPaints,BergerPaints,DuluxICI(India),andGoodlassNerolacPaints.In2007,whentheIndianNGOToxicsLinkfirstsampledandtestedpaintsontheIndianmarket,noneofthesamplesofDuluxICIbrandpaintstestedcontainedmorethantracequantitiesoflead.Samplesofoil-baseddecorativepaintsfromeachoftheotherthreemajorbrandscontainedmorethan600ppmoflead.
21 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
ToxicsLinkreleasedtheseresultstothenewsmediaandinitiatedcontactswithseveralpaintcompanies.WhenToxicsLinkagaintestedpaintsontheIndianmarketin2009,neithertheDuluxICInortheNerolacPaintstestedcontainedmorethantracequantitiesoflead.64TheNGOcampaigncontinued,andin2011ToxicsLinkoncemoretestedpaintsontheIndianmarket.Thistimenoneofthetestedpaintsfromthreeofthefourmajorbrandscontainedmorethan90ppmoflead.Ofthemarketleaders,onlyBergerpaintsstillcontainedhighleadcontent:ashighas34,700ppm.65Basedonthesetestingresultsandotherindications,itappearsthatthreeofIndia’sfourlargestpaintmanufacturingcompaniesmayhavetakendecisionstonotuseleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotherleadcompoundsintheformulationoftheirdecorativepaints.
Thisgoodnews,however,comeswithqualifications.TheIndianpaintindustrycontainsaverylargenumberofsmallandmid-sizepaintcompaniesthatmaycompriseasmuchas40percentoftheIndianpaintmarket.Thereisstilllittleinformationaboutwhatprogress,ifany,thesecompaniesaremakingtowardleadpainteliminationandtheGovernmentofIndiahasnotyetdecidedtoestablishanymandatoryleadpaintstandard.
Additionally,India’sfourlargestbrandsalsocommandlargemarketsharesinneighboringcountriessuchasBangladeshandNepal.Accordingtotestingresultsfrom2011,boththeBergerandAsianPaintsoil-baseddecorativepaintspurchasedinBangladeshandNepalcontainedextremelyhighconcentrationsoflead.ABergeryellowpaintpurchasedinNepalcontained212,700ppmoflead;aBergeryellowpaintpurchasedinBangladeshcontained121,900ppm;anAsianPaintorangepaintpurchasedinNepalcontained64,400ppm;andanAsianPaintyellowpaintpurchasedinBangladeshcontained43,600ppm.66
64LeadinNewDecorativePaints:AGlobalStudy,ToxicsLinkandIPEN,August2009,Dr.AbhayKumar,http://www.ipen.org/ipenweb/documents/work%20documents/global_paintstudy.pdf
65DoubleStandard:InvestigatingLeadContentInLeadingEnamelPaintBrandsInSouthAsia,byToxicsLink,India,EnvironmentandSocialDevelopmentOrganization,Bangladesh,andCenterforPublicHealthandEnvironmentalDevelopment,Nepal,June2011,http://toxicslink.org/docs/Double_Standard_Lead_Paint_29_June_2011.pdf
66Same
caMeroon pLans Lead paInt standard
In2011,theCameroonNGOResearchandEducationCentreforDevelopmentsampledandtestedpaintsonthenationalmarketwithfinancialsupportfromtheSAICMQuickStartProgramTrustFundandUNEPChemicals.CREPDtested60paintsamplesthatwerepurchasedinretailstoresinsevenofthecountry’stenregions.Thirty-nineofthesamples(65percent)containedmorethan600ppmoflead;thehighestcontained500,000ppmoflead.CREPDalsosurveyedpaintsonthemarketandestimatedthat80percentofthepaintproductsavailableonthemarketaremanufacturedinCameroon,althoughthemarketsharesofthedifferentpaintbrandscouldnotbedetermined.
SeveralCameroonMinistriescooperatedwithCREPDinitsworkonleadpaintincludingtheMinistriesofEnvironmentandProtectionofNature;PublicHealth;Mine,IndustryandTechnologicalDevelopment;Trade;andLaborandSocialWelfare.Theresultsofthetestswerepresentedtotwonationalworkshopsandtenregionalworkshopswithparticipationfromministriesandstakeholders.Inresponse,theCameroonAgencyofStandardandQuality(ANOR)announcedplanstomoveforwardwithastandardtoregulatethemanufacture,import,andsaleofleadpaint.ThePrimeMinisterapprovedtakingactiononthisissue.Stakeholdersandcivilsocietyhavebeeninvitedtoparticipateinthedevelopmentofthenationalstandard.
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 22
Effectiveleadpainteliminationstrategieswillgenerallyincludetwocomplementarycomponents:1)effortsaimedatachievingbindingnationallaws,regulations,standards,andprocedurestocontrolthemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofleadpaints;and2)market-basedandotherinitiativesaimedatinfluencingpaintmanufacturers,brandholders,andvendorstotaketheirownvoluntaryactionstostopmanufacturingandsellingleadpaints.Thesetwocomponentsarecloselylinked.Neithercanbeeffectivelyinitiatedwithoutalreadyhavingdataontheleadcontentofpaintsbeingsoldonthenationalmarket;andpublicandconsumerawarenessanddemandareoftenimportantdriversforboth.Thetwocomponentsarealsolinkedbecause,ontheonehand,manygovernmentsarelikelytobemorewillingtopromulgatebindingleadpaintcontrolmeasureswhentheyseethatleaderswithintheirnationalpaintindustryhavealreadybegunmovingtowardeliminatingleadfromtheirpaintsorhaveexpressedtheirwillingnesstodoso;andontheotherhand,manypaintcompanieswilllikelybemorewillingtovoluntarilystopmanufacturingleadpaintswhentheyperceivethatbindinglawsorregulationsarecoming.
Whileglobalandregionalinitiativescanmakeimportantcontributionstoachievinggloballeadpaintelimination,theirmainrolewillbetosupportandcomplementcountry-by-countryefforts.Thereisnoprospectthatanyglobalorregionallegally-bindinginstrumenttocontrolleadpaintwillbeconsideredoradoptedanytimeintheforeseeablefuture.Meaningfulnationallawsorregulationstoprohibitorcontrolleadpaintsthereforemustbeindividuallyadoptedbyeachnationalgovernment.Market-basedleadpainteliminationstrategiesmustlargelybecarriedoutonacountry-by-countrybasis,butthetransnationalcharacterofmanylargerpaintcompaniesmeansthatglobalandregionalinitiativescanmakeimportantcontributions.Paintsaremarketednationally,sometimeswithlocalorregionalvariations.Therefore,boththenationally-ownedpaintcompaniesandthenationalsubsidiariesofinternationalcompanieswillberesponsivemainlytoconsumerandpublicpressurescomingfrominsidethecountry.
roLes In gLobaL Lead paInt eLIMInatIon For InternatIonaL actors
Whiletherolesofinternationalandregionalactorsarecomplementarytocountry-by-countryefforts,theynonethelessmakecriticallyimportantcontributionsinachievingleadpaintelimination.
non-Governmental organizations.Verylittleinternationalexpertorinstitutionalattentionwasbeinggiventotheproduction,sale,anduseofleadpaintsinthedevelopingworlduntilIPEN,aninternationalNGOnetwork,firstbroughtthisissuetothe2008meetingoftheIntergovernmentalForumonChemicalSafetyinDakarandthentothesecondmeetingoftheInternationalConferenceonChemicalsManagementinGenevain2009.InternationalNGOnetworkslikeIPENhaveanimportantcontinuingrole.IPENconductsoutreachtoNGOsandorganizationsofcivilsocietyincountriesofallregionstokeepthemupdatedongloballeadpainteliminationeffortsandstimulatesNGOstotakeuptheissueintheirowncountries.IPENprovidesinterestedNGOswithinformation,materials,advice,andassistanceand,asappropriate,helpscoordinateNGOleadpainteliminationeffortsbetweencountries.IPENhelpsNGOssharetheirexperiencesandthelessonslearnedinthedifferentnationalcampaigns.Withinbudgetaryconstraints,IPENalsoprovidesNGOsinallregionswithtechnicalassistanceandworkstomobilizeresourcesthatcanbeusedtosupportnationalNGOcampaignsandprojects.IPENadditionallyparticipatesintheGAELPAdvisoryCommitteeandprovidesassistancetotheGAELPSecretariatincarryingouttheworkofGAELP.
intergovernmental organizations.AftertheleadpainteliminationresolutionwasadoptedatICCM3,UNEPandWHObecamemoreactivelyengagedintheissueandagreedtoestablish,support,andcooperativelymanagetheGAELP.WHOanditsregionalandnationalofficeshavecloseandimportantrelationshipswithministriesofhealthinmostcountries.WHO’sagreementtoco-managetheGAELPSecretariatsendsasignalofitssupportfornationalleadpaintelimination.ThissignalcouldbegreatlyamplifiedthroughdirectoutreachtonationalhealthministriesbyWHOregionalandnationaloffices.Inasimilarmanner,UNEPhasimportantinfluenceovernationalenvironmentministries.WHOandUNEPworkingtogetherthroughGAELPcouldgreatlyinfluencemanynationalgovernmentstostartgivingseriousconsiderationtotheadoptionofa
lead Paint elimination strateGies
While the roles of international and
reGional actors are comPlementary
to coUntry-by-coUntry efforts, they
nonetheless make critically imPortant
contribUtions.
23 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
nationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument.StrongstatementsofsupportforleadpainteliminationobjectivesthatSAICMregionalgroupsadoptedfollowingICCM2hasalsohelpedtocreateaclimatethatencouragesrelevantnationalauthoritiesinmanycountriestobegintheirownleadpainteliminationinitiatives.ThechallengefollowingICCM3istocontinueeffortsaimedatencouragingnationalauthoritiestotakeuptheissueofleadpaintelimination,andtomakeavailabletothemtheinformationalmaterialsandotherkindsofsupportandassistancethattheywillneedtogoforward.
GAELPandotherinternationalactorshavebeenslow,sofar,inpreparinganddisseminatinginformationalandawareness-raisingmaterialsandtemplatesforuseoradaptionbythoseengagedinnationalleadpainteliminationefforts.Guidancematerialsontheelementsofeffectivenationalleadpainteliminationlawsorregulationsshouldhavealreadybeenmadeavailabletogovernmentofficialsandothersconsideringpossibleadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument.Somesmallandmid-sizepaintmanufacturersapparentlylackthetechnicalandsupplychaininformationthattheywouldneedtocost-effectivelyreformulatetheirleadpaints—informationthatshouldberelativelyeasytocompileanddisseminate.Instructionalinformationwouldbeusefulforgovernmentagencies,NGOs,andothersonhowtosamplepaintsonthenationalmarket,preparethemfortesting,selectanappropriatetestinglaboratory,andinterpretanddisseminateresults.
Progressalsoneedstobemadetoestablishaninternationallyagreedframeworkforthird-partypaintcertificationofpaintbrandsthathavevoluntarilyagreedtoremoveleadcompoundsfromtheirpaintformulations.Suchaframeworkcouldmakeitrelativelyeasytocreatenationalpaintcertificationandlabelingprogramsincountrieswheresome,butnotall,ofthepaintbrandsonthenationalmarketcontainaddedleadcompounds,andconsumersarenotabletoidentifywithconfidencewhichpaintbrandscontainaddedleadandwhichdonot.Third-partypaintcertification,basedonaninternationallyagreedframework,mightalsobeusefullyincorporatedasacomponentofanationalleadpaintcontrolregime,especiallyincountriesthatmightotherwisehavedifficultiesestablishingeffectivemonitoringandenforcementmeasures.
trade associations.Internationalandregionalpaintindustrytradeassociationshavethepotentialtobecomeveryimportantandconstructivecontributorstowardachievinggloballeadpaintelimination.TheInternationalPaintandPrintersInkCouncil(IPPIC)formallyadoptedaresolutionin2008thatsupportstherestrictionsontheuseofleadinpaintsthatarealreadyinplaceandthatrecommendstheirwidespreadadoptionbyauthoritiesincountriesnotcurrentlyregulatingtheuseofleadinpaint.IPPIChasparticipatedintheGAELPInterimAdvisoryCommitteeand
hasalsoapparentlyengagedindiscussionswithregionalpaintindustryassociationsonissuesrelatedtoleadpaint.IPPIChasadditionallyexpressedapossibleinterestincooperatingwithotherGAELPparticipantsinthecreationofaframeworkforthird-partypaintcertificationandlabeling,andinthepreparationanddisseminationoftechnicalandsupplychaininformationforsmallandmid-sizepaintcompanies.However,therehassofarbeenlittle,ifany,forwardmotiononthesematters.
Themostusefulroleinternationalandregionalpaintindustrytradeassociationsmightplayistoinformnationalpaintindustrytradeassociationsthattheywillnotbeabletoignoregrowinginternationalandnationalpressuresontheirmembercompaniestodiscontinuetheuseofleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotheraddedleadcompoundsinpaintsthattheyproduceandsell.Sincethesepressuresareexpectedtocontinueandarenotlikelytostop,nationalassociationsmightbeadvisedtotakeanumberofactionsincludingproactivelydiscussingthisissueamongtheirmembers;encouragingmemberstodiscontinueusingleadcompoundsintheirpaintformulations;providingrelevanttechnicalandsupplychaininformationtothosemembercompanieswhomayneedit;and,eventually,beingabletoinformtheirnationalgovernmentsthattheirmembershavenoobjectiontotheadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument.Nationalpaintindustrytradeassociationsinatleasttwocountries,ThailandandthePhilippines,havealreadyindicatedtotheirnationalgovernmentthattheysupport,oratleastdonotoppose,theadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrument.
health Professionals.Internationalassociationsofhealthprofessionals(e.g.,InternationalPediatricAssociation,theWorldFederationofPublicHealthAssociations)canplayimportantrolesbyhelpingtomobilizeinterestandengagementbyhealthprofessionalsinnationalleadpainteliminationinitiatives.Charitablefoundationsandlargeinternationalserviceorganizationsmightalsoconsidermobilizingsupportforgloballeadpaintelimination.Ofallsignificantinternationalinterventionstoreducetheglobalburdenofdisease,theachievementoftheglobaleliminationofthemanufactureanduseofleadpaintsisprobablytheeasiesttofullyachieve;anditprobablyhasahigherratioofpotentialhealthbenefittocostthanotherglobalpublichealthinterventions.
donors.Governmentalandintergovernmentaldonorscanalsomakeimportantcontributions.TheEuropeanUnion’sSWITCHAsiaProgramhasalreadyawardeda€1.4milliongranttoIPENinsupportofNGOleadpainteliminationactivitiesinsevenAsiancountriesTheSAICMQuickStartProgramTrustFundhasgivensupporttotwonationalNGOleadpainteliminationprojects.TheSwedishGovernment,theSwedishSocietyforNatureConservation,andtheSwiss
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 24
GovernmenthavefundedNGOleadpainteliminationefforts.TheGlobalEnvironmentFacilityhassignaledaninterestinprovidingatleastone$1milliongrantinsupportofaleadpaint-relatedproject.Inaddition,theU.S.andafewothergovernmentshaveprovidedfundstoGAELP.Thisfunding,takentogether,isagoodstart.However,GAELPisstillwoefullyunderfunded.Itdoesnotemployevenonefull-timededicatedstaffpersonandhasvirtuallynobudgetfordirectinterventions.FundingmadeavailableforcountryinterventionsbyNGOsand/orgovernmentshasbeensufficienttosupportongoingworkinlessthanadozencountries.Hopefully,contributionsinsupportofthegoalofgloballeadpaintinitiativewillincreaseinthenearfuture.
awareness raIsIng
Inmanycountries,publicawareness-raisingeffortsareakeycomponentofanynationalleadpainteliminationstrategy.This,however,neednotbethecaseinallcountries.Relevantgovernmentofficialsand/orpoliticalleadersinacountrymightseetheneedtotakeactiontoprotecttheirpublic’shealthandtheenvironmentfromleadinpaintpriortothepublicdemandingit.Insuchcases,aneffectiveleadpaintcontrollaworregulationmightbeadoptedandenforcedwithoutmuchofthepublicevenbeingawarethatleadpainteverwasanationalissueorconcern.
Inmostcountries,however,atleastsomepublicawareness-raisingeffortswillbeneeded.Thegovernmentofficialsinhealthandenvironmentministrieswhobestunderstandwhyitisimportanttoeliminateleadfrompaintoftendonothavethehigh-levelpoliticalorinstitutionalsupportthattheyneedtoadoptandenforceaneffective,legally-bindingnationalleadcontrolinstrument.Andinmanycountries,politicalleadersandhigher-levelofficialsmaybemorewillingtosupportadoptionofanationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentiftheyperceivethatsectorsofthepublicandkeystakeholdergroupsinsocietyareconcernedabouttheissueandareexpectingthegovernmenttoact.Awareness-raisingeffortsmayadditionallyservetoconvinceconsumerstoavoidthepurchaseofleadpaintsandmayconvincepaintmanufacturersandvendorsthatcontinuingtoproduceandsellleadpaintsmaybeharmfultobrandreputationanddecreasebrandequity.
Fortunately,publicawareness-raisingonissuesrelatingtoleadexposureandleadpaintisrelativelyeasy.Inmostcountries,manypeoplearealreadybroadlyawarethatleadexposureisbad,especiallywhenchildrenareexposed.Additionally,theevidenceofharmfromleadexposureissostrongandwell-documentedthatindustryrepresentativeshavegenerallybeenunwillingtotrytopubliclyarguethecasethatthereisnogoodreasonforthepublictobeconcernedaboutleadhousepaintsandotherleadpaintsforchildren-relatedapplications.Itappearsthatleaddecorativepaints
canonlyprosperinthemarketplacewhenthepubliciskeptunawareofthem.Oncethepublicbecomesinformedaboutthem,leaddecorativepaintsbecomeanembarrassmenttotheirproducers,theirvendors,andtheirbrandholders.
Experiencesofarhasshownthatleadpaintisanissuethatofteneasilyattractstheinterestofthepress:boththeprintandtheelectronicmedia.Thereiscurrentlynodataavailableinmostcountriesontheleadcontentofdecorativepaintsforsaleonthenationalmarket.Whennewdataisgeneratedbysamplingandtesting,andwhentheresultsshowthatsomeormanyofthepaintbrandsonsalecontainhazardousquantitiesoflead,thepressisoftenwillingtoprominentlyreportonthestory.Whendoingso,itisgenerallyalsowillingtoreportontheharmsassociatedwithleadexposureinchildren,onthecontributionofleadpainttochildhoodleadexposure,andsoon.Andfinally,afterthenationalnewsmediahasalreadyoncewidelyreportedontheissueofleadpaints,itisoftenrelativelyopentopossiblefollow-upstories.
Newsmedianeednotbetheonlytargetforawareness-raisingefforts.Posterswarningaboutdangersassociatedwithleadpaintsthatarepostedinhealthclinicsandhospitalscan,insomecountries,beausefulawarenesstoolascanbrochuresdistributedbydoctorsandhospitalstotheirpatients.Otherstrategiescouldincludepublicmeetingsontheissueandpetitionorsign-oncampaigns.Thesizeandambitionofanationalleadpaintawarenesscampaignsufficienttoachievethedesiredresultwillvarygreatlyfromcountrytocountry.Inmanycases,however,evenrelativelymodesteffortswillgettheattentionofpaintcompanies,paintvendors,politicalleaders,andrelevantnationalauthorities.
eLeMents oF a natIonaL Lead paInt eLIMInatIon strategy
Asalreadyindicated,thestartingpointforanynationalleadpainteliminationstrategyisthecollectionanddisseminationofdataontheleadcontentofpaintsforsaleonthenationalmarket.Inalmostallcountries,anotherkeyelementofthestrategyisanambitiousandongoingawareness-raisingcam-paigntoinformconsumersandthepublicaboutthepresenceofleadpaintonthenationalmarket,thecontributionofleadpainttochildhoodleadexposure,andthesignificanthealthandsocietalharmsthiscauses.
in many coUntries, PUblic
aWareness-raisinG efforts are a
key comPonent of any national
lead Paint elimination strateGy
25 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
Elementsofanationalleadpainteliminationstrategymightinclude:
1) OrganizingaNationalAlliancetoEliminateLeadPaint
2) Identifyingthemajorleadpaintbrandsforsaleonthenationalmarketandthemajornationalvendorsofleadpaintbrands
3) Encouragingconsumerstoavoidthosebrandsandvendors
4) Encouragingbulkpaintpurchasessuchashousingdevelopers,housingagencies,schoolsystems,largecompaniesandotherstospecifyinallpaintpurchaseordersthattheywillonlyacceptpaintsthatareverifiedtocontainnoaddedleadcompounds
5) Conductingdirectoutreachseekingdiscussionsanddialoguewithpaintmanufacturers,majorpaintvendorsandnationalpaintindustrytradeassociations
6) Identifyingbarrierstoleadpainteliminationthatsmallormid-sizepaintcompaniesmaybefacingandhelpingthesecompaniesgetaccesstotheinformationandadvicetheymayneedtoovercomethosebarriers
7) Promotingtheestablishmentofanationalvoluntarythird-partypaintcertificationandlabelingprogramandencouragingpaintcompaniestoparticipateinit
8) Holdingpolicydialoguesaimedatidentifyingandsecuringagreementsontheelementsofaneffectivenationalleadpaintcontrolinstrumentwithparticipationfromrelevantgovernmentofficials,politicalleaders,paintcompaniesandtheirtradeassociations,relevantNGOsandrepresentativesofcivilsociety,andothers
an approacH to Large InternatIonaL paInt ManuFacturers
TheglobalpaintandcoatingsindustryhadtotalsalesofapproximatelyUSD$90billion(thousandmillionormilliard)in2011.DecorativepaintswerethelargestsinglecomponentwithsalesofmorethanUSD$40billion.67
Thetop10globalcompaniescontrolmorethan50percentoftheglobalmarket.Certainnationalandregionalcompanies,however,oftenout-competetheseglobalbrandsintheirowncountriesandregions.Inthefiscalyear2010,therewere22paintandcoatingcompanieswithmorethanUSD$1billioninsalesand59companieswithsalesof$200millionormore.68Whilewecurrentlylackinformationonwhatfractionofpaintsalesinthedevelopingworldarecontrolledbythesetop59companies,onecanreasonablyassumethattheycommandasignificantshareofthetotal.
All59oftheselargestpaintcompaniescertainlyalreadyhaveallinformationnecessarytoquicklyandcost-effectivelydiscontinuetheuseofleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotherleadcompoundsinallthedecorativepaintsthattheyandtheirsubsidiariesmanufactureandsell.Someappeartohavealreadydoneso.Forexample,theworld’slargestpaintcompany,AkzoNobel,whosedecorativepaintbrandsincludeDuluxandICIpaints,appearstohavehadinplaceaglobalpolicyofnotaddingleadtothedecorativepaintsthattheysellinanymarket.Otherlargepaintcompaniesmayhavesimilarpolicies;andallcompaniesthatselldecorativepaintsinmarketsofthehighlyindustrialworldarealreadyproducingnon-leaddecorativepaintsforthosemarkets.
Areasonableinternationaldemandwouldbetocallupontheworld’s59largestpaintindustrycompanies–thosewithannualsalesofmorethanUSD$200millionperyear–tocompletelyeliminate,before2015,theuseofleadpigments,leaddryingagents,andotheraddedleadcompoundsinalldecorativepaintsthattheyortheirsubsidiariesmanufactureforsaleanywhereintheworld.
ICCM4isscheduledfor2015.IfthelargestpaintcompaniesintheworldcanbeinducedtodiscontinuemanufacturingandsellingdecorativeleadpaintsinallmarketsbyICCM4,thiswouldbeamajorsteptowardachievingtheglobalgoalofeliminatingthemanufactureandsaleofallleaddecorativepaintsby2020.
67 Architectural Coatings Market,CoatingsWorld,January2012,http://www.coatingsworld.com/issues/2012-01/view_features/architectural-coatings-market-608997/
682011 Top Companies Report,CoatingsWorld,July2011,http://www.coat-ingsworld.com/issues/2011-07/view_features/2011-top-companies-report/
at least 59 of the World’s larGest Paint
comPanies already have all information
they WoUld need to qUickly and cost-
effectively discontinUe the Use of lead
PiGments, lead dryinG aGents and other
lead comPoUnds in all the decorative
Paints that they and their sUbsidiaries
manUfactUre and sell.
ATestoftheEffectivenessoftheStrategicApproachtoInternationalChemicalsManagement 26
there is a strong, robust and widely accepted body of
evidence documenting the personal and social harms
caused by childhood lead exposure. Numerousscientificandpublicagencieshaveconcludedthatthereisnosafelevelofleadexposure,andleadinpaintdecorativepaintshasbeenbannedintheindustrialcountriesformorethan40years.
Thesourceofsignificantchildhoodleadexposureaffectingthelargestnumberoftheworld’schildrentodayisleadpaint.
Exposuretoleadcausesalifelong,irreversibledecreaseinchildren’sintelligence.Childhoodleadexposuresufficientlywidespreadtocauseadecreaseinaverageintelligenceandschoolperformancehasanadverseimpactontheentirecountry.Oneoutcomeisanincreaseinthenumberofchildrenwhodopoorlyinschoolandwhomaynotcontributefullytosocietywhentheybecomeadults.Anotherresultcanbeareductioninacountry’sfutureintellectual,business,andpoliticalleadershippotentialandawideninggapinsocioeconomicattainmentbetweencountrieswithhighandlowlevelsofleadexposureintheirchildren.
Earlyactiontoeliminatethemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofleaddecorativepaintsisessentialtoacountry’seconomicfutureandtominimizeoravoidthelarge-scalelegacyproblemsthatmanyhighlyindustrialcountriesmustcontendwith.
the global elimination of all manufacture and use of
lead decorative paints in countries of all regions by
the year 2020 is an achievable objective and one
against which both the GaelP and the saicm can and
should be evaluated.Theharmsfromleadexposurearewelldocumentedandnotsubjecttocontroversy.Nationalmeasurestoprohibitandeliminatethemanufacture,import,sale,anduseofleaddecorativepaintsshouldentailonlyminimalnationaleconomicorsocialcostsandcanbeexpectedtoyieldverygreatpublichealthandeconomicdevelopmentbenefits.Thepaintindustryitselfhasbeenawareofthehazardsofleadexposureformanyyearsanddecadesagostoppedaddingleadcompoundstothepaintsthatitsellsinhighlyindustrialcountries.
Moreover,positivestepstoeliminateleadinpaintareunderway.TheGAELPcreatesaveryusefulinternationalframeworkforleadpainteliminationinitiatives,includingfosteringdialoguewithpaintmanufacturingcompaniesandtheirtradeassociationsandprovidinginformationandsupporttogovernmentofficialsandothersconsideringtakingactionsintheirowncountriestoeliminateleadpaint.
national actions to eliminate lead paints are needed
in every country.Insomeofthecountrieswheretherehavebeenleadpaintpublicinformationcampaigns,severalpaintmanufacturershavetakenvoluntaryactiontostopaddingleadcompoundstotheirdecorativepaints.Atleasttwocountrieshaverecentlyadoptedbindingleadpaintcontrolinstrumentsandinsomeothercountries,theyareunderactiveconsideration.Nonetheless,muchmoreprogressisneeded.
Nogovernmentofacountryinwhichleaddecorativepaintscontinuetobemanufactured,imported,sold,andusedcanbesaidtohaveyetmadesignificantprogresstowardimplementingthesoundmanagementofchemicals.
the 59 largest paint manufacturing companies in
the world should stop manufacturing and selling lead
decorative paints in all markets by 2015, at the latest.Thereare59paintmanufacturingcompaniesintheworldwithannualsalesofUSD$200millionormore.Thesecompaniesproducemostofthedecorativepaintsonsaleintheworld.Itisreasonabletodemandandexpectthatthesetopcompaniescompletelyhaltthemanufactureandsalesofallleaddecorativepaints,includingbyalloftheirsubsidiaries,by2015,atthelatest.Allofthesecompanieshavetheknowledgeandtechnicalskillsneededtoeliminatetheuseofleadcompoundsintheformulationofalltheirdecorativepaintswhilestillofferingtoconsumershigh-quality,cost-competitiveproducts.
Inadditiontodecorativepaints,priorityattentionalsoshouldbegiventotheeliminationofothercategoriesofpaintsmostlikelytocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Theseincludepaintsusedascoatingsinthemanufactureoftoys,pencils,cribsandplaypens,furniture,andotherhouseholditems,especiallyonesthatchildrenmaychewon.Theyalsoincluderustandcorrosion-resistantpaintsforuseonmetalsurfacesthataresoldforhomeuseoruseonschoolplaygroundequipmentandsimilarapplications.
the phase out and elimination of leaded automotive
fuels provides a good model to follow. Thedecisiontolaunchaglobalpartnershiptoeliminateleadedautomotivefuelswastakenin2002.Atthetime,leadedautomotivefuelswereverycommoninmostdevelopingcountriesandcountrieswitheconomiesintransition.Now,10yearslater,theobjectiveoftheglobaleliminationofleadedautomotivefuelshasbeenlargelyachieved.Oneimportantreasonforthissuccessisthattheworld’spetroleumcompaniesandtheirnational,regional,andinternationaltradeassociationsplayedaveryactiveandconstructiverole.Ifnational,regional,
conclUsions
27 GlobalLeadPaintEliminationby2020
andinternationalpaintindustrytradeassociationscouldbeconvincedtoactsimilarly,thetotalglobaleliminationofleaddecorativepaintscouldbeeasilyachievedby2020.
lead paint legacy issues need to be addressed.Inhighlyindustrialcountries,leadpaintswereverywidelyusedthirtyyearsagoandmore.Thesepaintsremainaseriouslegacyprobleminoldhomesandbuildings,andtheirresiduescontinuetocontributetosignificantchildhoodleadexposure.Inmostdevelopingcountries,ontheotherhand,thesaleanduseofleaddecorativepaintswasrelativelysmalluntilrecentlycomparedtotheirpopulations.Butnow,salesofdecorativepaintsaregrowingveryrapidlyinthedevelopingworldasthemiddleclassinmanycountriesgreatlyexpands.Thismeansthatearlyactiontoeliminatethemanufacture,import,saleanduseofleaddecorativepaintsinthesecountriesstillhasthepotentialtoavoidlegacyproblemsontherelativescalethatmanyhighlyindustrialcountriesmustcontendwith.Nonetheless,legacyissueswillremaininall
countrieswhereleaddecorativepaintshavebeenused.Itisthereforenecessarytocreateincreasedawarenessofthehazardsofleaddustproducedwhensurfacescoatedwiththeselegacypaintsarere-painted,andalsoofthetechniquesthatcanbeusedtogreatlyreducethesehazards.
industrial lead paints and coatings also need to be
phased out. Progressalsoneedstobemadetowardthephase-outandeliminationofleadpaintsproducedforindustrial,structural,andotherapplications.Thesepaintsoftenalsocontributetochildhoodleadexposure.Theyrepresentseriousoccupationalhazardsandentailveryhighcoststouserswhocomplywithgoodoccupationalhealthandhazardouswastemanagementpractices.Leadindustrialandstructuralpaintsareasourceofworkerandcommunityhealthhazardswhenleadpaintedbridgesandstructuresarepreparedforrepainting,andwhenleadpaintcoatedproductsarerecycledordisposedof.