Despite tall claims made by paint manufacturers, a recent study has found that products of many leading companies have “shocking amount of lead in paints”. Lead is not only the single largest polluter in the environment, it is also a silent killer as it badly affects health of human beings.
Consumer Association of India (CAI) in association with Quality Council of India and National Referral Centre on Lead Poisoning conducted tests on various brands of paints in National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited labs, and found that popular household paints pose serious health hazards due to high lead content, more than the international permissible limits.
The paint brands that failed these tests include Berger Paints, ICI Dulux, Nippon Pylox, Gem Paints, Alfa Coat, Primer Paint, Lakshmi Paints and Agsar Paints. However, products of Asian Paints and Kansai Nerolac Paints emerged successful in the tests.
“As many as 50 samples of 12 brands of wall paints were collected and analysed. This was done to determine the extent and degree of lead content in the paint. Eight brands of the enamel paints contained high concentration of lead that can be hazardous for human health. The samples were tested in NABL-accredited laboratories with technical support coming from National Referral Centre on Lead Poisoning in India,” said Quality Council of India Secretary General Dr. Giridhar J Gyani.
The study found that popular brand of enamel paints contained above 1000 parts per million (PPM) lead standard, against the internationally accepted limit is 90 ppm. Similarly, 83.87 per cent enamel samples contained more than 1000 ppm of lead, while 61.3 per cent of samples had more than 5000 ppm and 38 per cent of all samples, including plastic, enamel and exterior, contained lead at levels above 90 ppm.
“Lead in paints is hazardous to health, especially to that of kids, as it can enter the body through breathing or swallowing. Lead can be transferred from an otherwise healthy pregnant woman to her baby with the same potential for disastrous neurological effects. Whether it enters the body through breathing or swallowing, lead targets the nervous system, in adults and children alike,” said National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning Director Venkatesh Thuppil.
The US Government’s Centre for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) recognises lead the single most significant environmental and health threat to children. In fact, lead poisoning in children in linked to developmental delays, learning disabilities and behaviour problems.
CAI has urged the government to ask paint industry to ban the usage of lead pigments and lead octate in paints and ask them to acquire technology for manufacturing environmental-friendly paints with very low level of lead. It has also asked that all paint manufacturers should display lead content on containers in bold letters and the government regulatory agencies should take serious steps to check the lead content in paint. Similarly, all children toys and play equipment should carry ‘Quality Check’ test certificates for lead-free status.
