Lead-based paints are a health threat

A quick and affordable way to liven up your home, or the children’s play area at a school, is to paint it in bright colours.

Light and bright household and decorative paints look good on the eye. However, behind the beauty, lurks an unseen danger. Most household and decorative paints on the Ugandan market contain high levels of lead.

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Lead is added to paint to accelerate drying and maintain a shiny appearance, making the paint last longer. But, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), using lead paints in homes, schools and playgrounds creates a significant risk of children being exposed to the toxicant.

The WHO recommends a standard limit of 90 parts per million (ppm) of lead in paint. However, in 2017, a study conducted by the National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) found that 67 percent of paints on the Ugandan market; both locally manufactured and imported contained lead concentrations above 10,000 ppm.

Peruth Atukwatse, NAPE’s programme officer in-charge of chemicals management, says at the time, 30 samples of paints were analysed, and of these, 20 contained high concentrations of lead. The paints represented 14 different brands that dominate the market. 

“We found that some yellow paints contained high concentrations of lead, up to 10,000ppm and 150,000ppm. Most paint cans do not contain (descriptive) labels, so even if people wanted to be conscious by reading the contents, it would be hard for them to know which paint contains lead. The labels only indicate that the paint is solvent or pigmented,” Atukwatse says.

Recommended standards

In May 2016, the East African Community (EAC) adopted a 100ppm lead limit in new standards for various types of paint. These standards are legally binding for the six member states of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. However, these standards are yet to be enforced on the Ugandan market. Four years after the findings of the NAPE study were released, the paint industry in Uganda is still among the least regulated in the country,  even with the rapid growth of the construction industry.

Naomi Karekaho, the spokesperson of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), says there is no specific law that governs the manufacture, sale, and use of lead paint. Instead, what is used is Section 74 of the National Environment Act 2019, which talks about the management of products containing toxic material. “NEMA regulates the environment up to the extent that the law provides. The good news is, there are regulations in development concerning different chemicals that may be ready in 2022 and lead will be contained therein,” Karekaho says.

Section 74, Subsection 1(b) of the National Environment Act 2019 says: “The Authority, in this case NEMA, shall, in consultation with the relevant lead agency, establish a criteria for the management of products containing mercury, lead, cyanide, arsenic and polonium.”

Effects of lead

However, there is no relevant lead agency in the country. Atukwatse says lead affects multi body systems when one is exposed to it. “The dangers of lead in paint are not given much attention because they take long to manifest. Continuous exposure affects the central nervous system, the kidneys, and the blood immune system. It can cause brain damage and retardation. Exposure to lead paint usually affects children because it is easy for them to transfer playthings, or paint chips, to their mouths,” she says.

Experts say lead-based paint is most dangerous when it is aging, peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking. This leads to the creation of toxic lead dust, which affects children. There is hope, though. In early November 2021, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) amended six paint standards to reflect WHO’s recommended amount of lead in paint.

Solutions

Patricia Bageine Ejalu, UNBS’ deputy executive director in-charge of standards, says, standards were amended for silk emulsion paint, auto refinishing paint, matt solvent born paint for interior and exterior use, air dried roofing paint, and decorative high gloss paint. She adds that these new standards are aimed at reflecting the EAC standards.

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“When we received that (NAPE’s) report in 2017, we carried out our own survey. Indeed, we found that there was lead in paint, much higher than the amount recommended by WHO. These were the emulsion based paints, which had recommendations of 100ppm. Over 70 paint products have been certified against the new standards. Every standard had to go through an amendment. The only standard remaining is the one on the high gloss decorative paint, which has been through an amendment phase at the East African level. Ejalu adds that the trickle-down effect on the market will be immediate.

“The moment a standard replaces the existing Uganda standard, it is communicated to the producers, and they have to make the changes immediately. Otherwise, we will not certify their products. The issue is that nobody should be producing paint without consulting on what the standards are,” she says.

Challenges

However, enforcement of the new standards might take a while because, like all government watchdog institutions, UNBS faces manpower challenges.

“We have to give (the manufacturers and importers) notice. You cannot approve a standard today, and tomorrow you are pulling people out of the market (sic). We try to follow the high-risk areas and paint falls under one of those. The team has just been waiting for this standard. We will definitely have stakeholder engagements and make sure everybody is aware about the new standards,” Ejalu says.

As the market awaits the enforcement of new standards, there are alternatives to lead paint. According to the NAPE report, 10 out of the 30 solvent-based paints sampled; representing 33 percent, contained lead concentrations below the WHOs recommended 90 ppm. This suggests that the technology to produce paint without lead ingredients exists in Uganda.

Here is a guide to other wall treatments that will set your interiors apart.

Alternatives to wall paint

Can a home be complete without wall paint? A great deal of us prefers wall paints over any other recourse for covering the walls. But if you have different tastes and or are concerned about the safety of the paint, there are varied wall treatment options to choose from. 

Exposed brick

During the renovation, instead of re-painting an exposed brick wall, why not leave it exposed? The brick gels with almost all kinds of interior settings and can be used in any area of the building. Top it up with a piece of art or a family collage, it will distinguish itself better than any customary painted wall.

Stone

Apart from using natural stone masonry, a stone texture on walls can be obtained in a number of ways. Tiles of varied thickness can be directly pasted over cement plaster. Here, stone veneers which are basically thin layers of stones cut from bigger pieces are laid out in a random fashion. These are usually made by skilled labourers and they look more organic than stone tiles.

Cladding

Similar textures can be obtained by the use of composite materials such as fibre cement boards. These boards come in varied patterns, textures and colour options. Cladding of these panels over the raw wall gives a clean, uncooked identity to a space. There are a diverse range of homogeneous looking veneers in a variety of textures to choose from; be it stone, cement, wood or marble.

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Use art

For a classical appeal in interiors, hire a fresco artist for a full house makeover. Careful implementation of fresco paintings, either partially or in full, must be carried out in consultation with the connected designer. Ready-made fabrics with fresco-like-designs are easily accessible in stores. Some allow custom-made patterns to be printed on a fabric before installation as well. A full-wall mural gives a distinctive lift to the whole space. These murals can be custom-made using images of holiday destinations, spiritual meanings or abstract patterns. They need to be coupled with smart lighting to avoid unnecessary glare and to stimulate visual comfort.

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