Mexico. A new study on lead in architectural decorative paints sold for domestic use in Mexico, published by Casa Cem and IPEN, finds that more than a quarter of the paints analyzed had a dangerously high total lead content exceeding 10,000 parts per million (ppm).
The maximum allowable limit for lead in paint, for example in the U.S. and Canada, is 90 ppm, the same threshold recommended by the United Nations Environment Program. The report states that a yellow General Paint brand paint contained the most lead at 200,000 ppm. In addition, a yellow paint from the Paints and Nuances brand, labeled "lead-free," contained 130,000 ppm of lead.
"Lead exposure, even at low levels, has an irreversible and lifelong impact on children, especially those aged six and under, the critical age for brain development," said Sofia Chavez, CEO of Casa Cem. "We must eliminate this dangerous source of lead exposure from young children to protect their intellectual growth and maximize our nation's future intellectual capacity. This can be done now as safe and effective alternatives to lead are already in use and are generally available in Mexico."
The economic cost in Mexico due to the neurodevelopmental effect of children exposed to lead is equivalent to 1.86% of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
From January to March 2018, Casa Cem purchased a total of 118 solvent-based paint cans for domestic use representing 39 brands produced by 38 manufacturers from various stores in Guadalajara and Puebla, Mexico. All brands were manufactured in Mexico. Samples of these paints were analyzed by an accredited laboratory in the United States to determine the total lead content.
Key findings from the report: Lead in solvent-based paints for home use in Mexico, include:
- More than half (55 percent) of solvent-based paints contained lead concentrations above 90 ppm. In addition, 27 percent of the paints contained dangerously high lead concentrations above 10,000 ppm.
- The highest concentration of lead detected was 200,000 ppm in a yellow decorative paint from the brand, General Paint.
- A yellow paint from the brand, Paints and Nuances, labeled "lead-free" contained 130,000 ppm of lead. Four other paints mistakenly advertised as "lead-free" contained lead levels ranging from 2,700 to 11,000 ppm, while two paints labeled "no heavy metals" contained 54,000 ppm and 6,700 ppm lead.
- 59 percent of the brands in the study sold at least one paint with dangerously high lead concentrations above 10,000 ppm.
- Orange and yellow paints were the most dangerous, with 67 and 66 percent containing lead concentrations above 10,000 ppm, respectively. In addition, 17 percent of red paints contain dangerous levels of lead above 10,000 ppm.
There is currently no regulation prohibiting the use of lead in paint in Mexico. Existing Mexican standards do not establish a specific maximum permissible limit for lead as a contaminant in paint, but a new standard is being developed that will establish a maximum total lead content of 90 ppm in decorative paints of domestic architecture, is being carried out by the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS), an office under the Ministry of National Health.
The full PDF report can be viewed by clicking here.
Source: IPEN.
