Need for world wide ban on lead-based paints

This study from UC, to be published in September, calls for a ban on lead-based paints world wide. The researchers say that lead-based paint production poses a global health threat, and a worldwide ban is urgently needed to avoid future public health problems. About 50 percent of the paint sold in China, India and Malaysia—none of which appear to have regulations on lead—had lead levels 30 times higher than U.S. regulations. In contrast in Singapore, which has well-enforced regulations, only 10 percent of paint samples were above U.S. regulations, the highest being six times the U.S. limit. The researchers state that “Paint manufacturers are aggressively marketing lead-based paints in countries without lead content restrictions,� says a professor of environmental health at UC. “In some cases, companies are offering the same or similar products, minus the lead, in a regulated country.�