Lead-contaminated Paint Still Used Widely Around the World

Paint with high levels of lead has been banned for several decades in the U.S. and other developed countries. But a new study shows that lead-tainted paint is still being produced and sold worldwide, posing a serious health risk to children. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati tested 373 samples of enamel paint from 12 countries and found that most nations allowed the sale of paints whose lead content often far exceeded the U.S. safety standard, which until recently was 600 parts per million and this month was reduced to 90 ppm. A third of the paint samples from China and Singapore exceeded the 600 ppm standard, while nearly all of the paint sampled in Thailand and Nigeria was above that level. Paint sampled from Ecuador contained an average of 32,000 ppm of lead. Children exposed to lead-tainted paint can suffer severe brain damage and other health effects. Paint manufacturers originally added lead to prevent paint from cracking. But the researchers — reporting their findings in the journal Environmental Research — said many low-lead alternatives are now available.