Problem of Lead-based paints

Lead has been added into the production of paint due to its ability to speed up drying, are highly opaque, increase durability by resist moisture that causes corrosion and neutralising acidic oils in paints (Crow, 2007). Lead-based paints have a long history of usage and production. While the poisonous effects of lead have been realised since the 20^th century, efforts to regulate and ban the usage of lead-based paints have been weak. It was only until 1978 when US banned the usage of lead-based paint for all uses (Rosner and Markowitz, 2013).

Picture taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Boy_Paint

The most widely used form of lead in paint is white lead or lead (II) carbonate (PbCO3). When lead-based paint flakes off or when it is removed from old buildings, lead in paint may be mixed in soils and enters into soils via weathering. As lead does not rapidly biodegrade or decay in soils, it will accumulate overtime. Soils which are alkaline retains lead in the top soils while soils which are acidic may react with hydrogen ions to form soluble compounds in soil solution. Alkaline soils with lead contamination might be more toxic when in contact due to lead concentration in top soils. However, in acidic soils, leached lead compounds may seep into and contaminate ground water and water bodies, wide-spreading the problem of lead pollution to other resources.

While lead-based paint has been outlawed in developed countries, it is still being manufactured and sold to poor developing countries. In 2013, it has been found extremely high levels of lead in numerous commercialised house paints in Cameroon. Some even have lead concentrations which exceeded the U.S. standard more than 300 times. This lead-based paint was traced to PPG Industries, an American global supplier of paints, who manufactured paints at toxic levels in Cameroon despite being educated of the dangerous consequences of lead poisoning (Kessler, 2013).

Such blatant double standards used by global paint manufacturers shows that industries can never be relied to be able to police themselves. Governments and local health authorities have to implement stringent rules to protect their own people, otherwise the bill falls back onto them when irreversible health problems emerges.

References

Crow, J. M. (2007) Why use lead in paint? Online. Available at: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2007/August/21080701.asp

Kessler, R. (2013) Long Outlawed in the West, Lead Paint Sold in Poor Nations. Online, Available at: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/long_outlawed_in_the_west_lead_paint_sold_in_poor_nations/2633/

Rosner, D. and Markowitz, G. (2013) Why It Took Decades of Blaming Parents Before We Banned Lead Paint. Online. Available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/04/why-it-took-decades-of-blaming-parents-before-we-banned-lead-paint/275169/