SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 19, 2013) - House paint containing dangerousconcentrations of lead is being sold in Cameroon by an American company – and thecompany is refusing to remove the paint from store shelves.
"There is an immediate need for regulations to restrict the lead content of paint inCameroon to protect public health," said Perry Gottesfeld, Executive Director ofOccupational Knowledge International (OK International) and co-author of a newresearch study about this lead hazard.
"The levels of lead are extraordinarily high, and these products have been banned in theU.S. for more than 30 years," Gottesfeld said.
The study, in the May issue of the Journal of Occupational and EnvironmentalHygiene revealed lead concentrations are as high as 50 percent by weight in householdpaint being sold by Cameroon's largest paint company, Seignerurie – a subsidiary of theU.S. Company PPG. This concentration is more than 5,000 times the allowable limit inthe U.S.
Lead is added to paint because it is inexpensive way to add color, resist corrosion, or toimprove the drying.
The research was jointly conducted by OK International and the Research andEducation Centre for Development (CREPD) and involved samples from dozens ofstores. Results showed that two-thirds (66%) of new paints in Cameroon made by morethan ten companies had hazardous lead levels in excess of 90 parts per million (ppm).The researchers also found that none of the lead paints surveyed in stores had anyhazard warnings while only 8% of the paints had labels identifying any of the ingredients.The new study is the first one which provides the names of paint companies and thelead concentrations for all 61 paints tested.
"This is the ultimate case of a company operating with double standards as they sellhazardous products in developing countries that have been banned in the U.S. since the1970s," Gottesfeld added.
As a result of this research, consumers in Cameroon are being warned to avoidpurchasing paints unless the cans are labeled with as having no added lead. Most ofthe paint available in the market contains hazardous levels of lead that causes birthdefects, brain damage, high blood pressure, and other health effects in both children andadults.
CREPD is issuing a warning following the results of a recent survey showing that most ofthe new paints being sold in stores still contain lead at excessive levels despite pledgesby some paint companies to reformulate.
"The problem we are seeing is that the older paint is still in stores because none of thecompanies have recalled products with hazardous levels of lead," said GilbertKUEPOUO, Coordinator of CREPD. "As a result, we are asking consumers to look forlabels that indicate that lead levels are less than 90 parts per million (PPM) as requiredin the U.S., China, and other countries."
PPG sent a letter to some of the distributors offering to exchange some products, butfew responded.
CREPD recently interviewed the managers of the 11 stores that sell Seigneurie paintsand identified only three that had returned products based on the companies offer.There are no regulations regarding the lead content of new paints in Cameroon.
The World Health Organization estimates that 240 million people around the world areoverexposed to lead contamination and 99 percent of those most severely exposedreside in developing countries. Lead paint in housing contributes significantly tochildren's exposure resulting in brain damage, mental retardation, lower educationalperformance, and a range of other health effects.
Source: Taylor & Francis