After warning consumers about 168 imported aerosol paints with shocking levels of lead, the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition announced its discovery of 14 spray paints with no added lead that are sold locally.
The non-detection of lead above the legal limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) in 14 spray paints provides a clear proof that such paints can be produced without the intentional addition of lead compounds, the group emphasized.
To recall, the group released last March 15 a list of 168 imported lead-containing spray paints sold locally, including in e-commerce sites. One hundred nineteen of these paints had lead levels exceeding 10,000 ppm. Also, 50 of these paints contained 50,000 ppm to 212,000 ppm of lead, including eight with over 100,000 ppm.
A DENR-issued chemical control order (CCO) has outlawed the use of lead and its compounds as pigments, drying catalyst or as an anti-corrosive agent in the production of paints to protect vulnerable populations such as children, women and workers from the harmful effects of lead exposure.
For its latest market investigation, the group procured online 10 samples of Omega All-Purpose Spray Paint labeled as “lead-free formulation” and had them screened for lead with the aid of a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device. All 10 samples (deep green, Okee green, Yamaha green, orange, rose pink, orange red, signal red, silver red, art yellow and yellow) passed the regulatory limit for lead in paint.
Omega All-Purpose Spray Paint, costing P95 per 400 mL can, is imported and distributed by March Resources Manufacturing Corp., a member of the Philippine Paint & Coatings Association, Inc. (PPCAI).
The group also found four samples of Tradesman Spray Paint (forest green, Jialing red, scarlet red and art yellow) compliant with the lead paint regulation.
Sold for P99 per 400 mL can, the “made in China” Tradesman Spray Paint is exclusively manufactured for Handyman, one of the country’s leading hardware and home improvement chain stores.
Previous laboratory tests commissioned by the EcoWaste Coalition also found Bosny, Champ, Krylon, Pylox, Rust-Oleum, Sherlux and a few other spray paint brands compliant with the CCO’s 90 ppm limit for lead in paints.
To prevent lead-containing paints from entering the domestic market, the EcoWaste Coalition is pushing for strengthened customs checks, for improved compliance monitoring, and for stricter global rules to control the trade of lead chromates in paint manufacturing, as well as finished paint products containing them.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “exposure to lead can cause chronic and debilitating health impacts in all age groups, and children are particularly vulnerable to its neurotoxic effects.”
Children’s exposure to lead early in life can damage the developing brain and nervous system, causing developmental delays, learning difficulties, lower intelligence quotient (IQ), attention deficit disorder and behavioral problems.
“There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects,” the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out.
“We laud the companies behind the Omega and Tradesman spray paints for proving that compliance with the country’s lead paint regulation is both feasible and necessary. We reiterate our appeal to all paint manufacturers, importers, and retailers to ensure that only lead-safe products are sold in the market as this will protect our people from the well-documented health hazards of lead exposure, especially among children, pregnant women, and the workers,” the EcoWaste Coalition concluded.
