Phaseout nears yet most paints in PH still high in lead, group notes

DESPITE the scheduled phaseout of lead-tainted decorative paints next year, most paints used in homes and schools still contain dangerous levels of the toxic substance which is particularly harmful to children, according to a consumer safety group.

EcoWaste Coalition said that out of the 140 decorative paints it tested in Metro Manila, Cebu and Pampanga from October to December last year, 97—or 69 percent—contained lead above the regulatory limit of 90 parts per million (ppm).

Most of these lead-tainted paints were produced by small companies, the group said.

“With the clock ticking for the [December] 2016 phaseout for decorative paints, we urge paint companies to speed up their switch to nonlead pigments and driers, as well as to tighten quality control measures to prevent lead contamination at any stage of the manufacturing process,” said EcoWaste campaigner Jeiel Guarino said.

Lead is known to cause neurological and behavioral damage especially among children. In 2013, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ordered the phaseout of lead-containing decorative paints by December 2016 and lead-containing industrial paints by 2019.

Among the lead-tainted decorative paints that were tested by EcoWaste, 63 or 45 percent contained dangerously high lead concentrations of more than 10,000 ppm. Four brands even contained lead between 102,000 to 153,000 ppm. Dona Z. Pazzibugan