(Press-News.org) SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 19, 2013) - House paint containing dangerous
concentrations of lead is being sold in Cameroon by an American company – and the
company is refusing to remove the paint from store shelves.
"There is an immediate need for regulations to restrict the lead content of paint in
Cameroon to protect public health," said Perry Gottesfeld, Executive Director of
Occupational Knowledge International (OK International) and co-author of a new
research study about this lead hazard.
"The levels of lead are extraordinarily high, and these products have been banned in the
U.S. for more than 30 years," Gottesfeld said.
The study, in the May issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Hygiene revealed lead concentrations are as high as 50 percent by weight in household
paint being sold by Cameroon's largest paint company, Seignerurie – a subsidiary of the
U.S. Company PPG. This concentration is more than 5,000 times the allowable limit in
the U.S.
Lead is added to paint because it is inexpensive way to add color, resist corrosion, or to
improve the drying.
The research was jointly conducted by OK International and the Research and
Education Centre for Development (CREPD) and involved samples from dozens of
stores. Results showed that two-thirds (66%) of new paints in Cameroon made by more
than 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 any
hazard 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 the
lead concentrations for all 61 paints tested.
"This is the ultimate case of a company operating with double standards as they sell
hazardous products in developing countries that have been banned in the U.S. since the
1970s," Gottesfeld added.
As a result of this research, consumers in Cameroon are being warned to avoid
purchasing paints unless the cans are labeled with as having no added lead. Most of
the paint available in the market contains hazardous levels of lead that causes birth
defects, brain damage, high blood pressure, and other health effects in both children and
adults.
CREPD is issuing a warning following the results of a recent survey showing that most of
the new paints being sold in stores still contain lead at excessive levels despite pledges
by some paint companies to reformulate.
"The problem we are seeing is that the older paint is still in stores because none of the
companies have recalled products with hazardous levels of lead," said Gilbert
KUEPOUO, Coordinator of CREPD. "As a result, we are asking consumers to look for
labels that indicate that lead levels are less than 90 parts per million (PPM) as required
in the U.S., China, and other countries."
PPG sent a letter to some of the distributors offering to exchange some products, but
few responded.
CREPD recently interviewed the managers of the 11 stores that sell Seigneurie paints
and 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 are
overexposed to lead contamination and 99 percent of those most severely exposed
reside in developing countries. Lead paint in housing contributes significantly to
children's exposure resulting in brain damage, mental retardation, lower educational
performance, and a range of other health effects.
INFORMATION:
For additional information, contact:
Mr. Perry Gottesfeld
Executive Director
OK International
4444 Geary Boulevard, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94118 USA
1+415-221-8900
info@okinternational.org
The complete article in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
has been made available for a free download here:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15459624.2013.768934
About Occupation Knowledge International
OK International is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco that works to build
capacity in developing countries to identify, monitor, and mitigate environmental and
occupational exposures to hazardous materials in order to protect public health and the
environment. The organization seeks to address inequities in environmental standards
between developed and developing countries by working in partnership with industry,
government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). For more information, visit
http://www.okinternational.org.
END
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