The Need to Eliminate Lead Paint Globally

The 21st edition of UNEP’s Foresight Brief highlights the harmful effects of Lead in Paint.
Lead has wide-ranging effects on health, with concomitant personal, societal and economic impacts, and thus, it was identified as one of the 10 chemicals of major public health concern globally. Lead poisoning remains pervasive around the world, causing more than a million deaths a year globally. One of the main sources of lead poisoning is exposure to deteriorating lead paint in homes and schools, which affects primarily children, especially those living in poorer communities. It is cheaper to eliminate lead-paint production, because once the paint has been applied to walls, it is difficult and costly to remove. The only effective way to stop exposure to this global hazard is by establishing laws that prohibit the future manufacture, import and sale of lead paint in every country. While it was once necessary to add lead for color and its anti-corrosive and drying properties, non-toxic substitutes for the lead compounds have existed for decades and are available at a comparable cost. Poisoning from lead paint is completely avoidable, and we call on all governments without effective lead-paint laws to engage with relevant stakeholders and to adopt laws banning lead paint.