EcoWaste finds 5 more non-compliant lead paints despite ban

MANILA, Philippines — Environmental group EcoWaste Coalition on Thursday said that it found five more spray paints with high amounts of lead being sold online.

In a statement, the EcoWaste Coalition announced that they obtained five variants of Veslee Paint Aerosol manufactured in China being sold illegally by an online seller for P130 per can.

The group individually screened the spray paints and confirmed that all five paint colors surpassed the lead in paint standard limit of not more than 90 parts per million (ppm), with the yellow spray paint having the highest amount of over 100,000 ppm lead.

READ: EcoWaste warns public against using paint containing lead

According to EcoWaste Coalition Campaigner Manny Calonzo, this continued distribution and selling of lead paints is a direct violation of the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, which bans “the use of lead additives in the production of paints and similar surface coatings.”

International Pollutants Elimination Network Lead Paint Campaigner Jeiel Guarino also said in a statement, “There is no compelling reason for paint manufacturers to continue using lead-based raw materials as safer alternatives to lead have become widely available in recent years.”

READ: EcoWaste Coalition: No to toxic chemicals in toys

Furthermore, the EcoWaste Coalition said that most spray paint products that are non-compliant with the lead limit were imported and were not from companies belonging to the Philippine Paint and Coatings Association.

Last January, the group also discovered a total of 34 spray paints with undisclosed lead additives.

The EcoWaste Coalition remains committed to its efforts in advocating for strict adherence to the lead ban to protect public health from the effects of lead exposure and reminds consumers to only buy “adequately labeled paints” with no added lead. — Barbara Gutierrez, INQUIRER.net intern